Hot Child
by Lazuli1
Summary: A mercilessly hot day on the island inspires Shannon Rutherford to “take a day off”. Swims, laziness, and hanging around the men of the island seem like a perfect way to pass the time. More importantly, she wants to know why Sayid has been avoiding her...
1. On the Beach

Title: Hot Child

Author: Lazuli

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Lost is owned by that glorious bastard, J.J. Abrams. Love you, sugarplum.

Summary: A mercilessly hot day on the island inspires Shannon Rutherford to "take a day off". Swims, laziness, and hanging around the men of the island seem like a perfect way to pass the time. More importantly, she wants to know why Sayid has been avoiding her…

Chapter One

"….on the Beach"

"You know, if you keep smashing that coconut like it's a bloody chocolate Easter bunny, you're going to get the milk everywhere." Charlie said, lying on the beach with his eyes closed. Shannon just glared at him, and kept pounding away.

She HATED days like this.

Usually, the survivors would be hard at work moving debris around, creating shelter, or collecting food. It seemed like a routine, but it was accepted dutifully by everyone who felt bored or helpless enough to pitch in. Chances of rescue were getting slimmer each passing day, and it seemed necessary to all that basic needs had to be satiated. Shannon half-expected to see Jack or Kate run around a corner of trees, barking orders and balking at the apparent laziness that the sight before them would have held. However, the constant reminder that they were stuck on a tropical island had never been so strong as today. The sun was absolutely merciless, and it was a unanimous decision that everyone seek shelter under the large palm fronds in the jungle.

"Sticks." It was just a one-word sentence, yet she could hear the underlying message beneath it. _Stop or else._ Shannon gave up, heaving a woe begotten sigh, and flopped on her back next to Sawyer.

"I'm so freaking thirsty," she complained, shielding her eyes from the sun that peeked through the leaves of the trees, "and all you idiots ran out of water." Charlie lifted his head and rolled his eyes. Sawyer merely chuckled.

The three of them had been stationed in that particular spot for about four hours. While mostly everyone else had chosen to head towards the direction of the cave, the tired Shannon had dropped on the ground and firmly stated that she wasn't going anywhere until the damn sun went away. Charlie knew that his presence at the caves would be a distraction to Claire, so he had agreed to stay with her. Sawyer stayed because, as usual, Jack was pissing him off. And vice versa. So the trio had lounged about the shady part of the beach for the better half of the morning, intercut by Shannon bickering with Sawyer, and Charlie just snorting in amusement once in awhile.

"Why in the blue hell," Sawyer muttered, "didn't I get on a plane that was headed for the Mediterranean," Shannon peeked out from under her arm.

"Think about it," he continued, his eyes closed, "instead of being stuck on this piece of trash, we could have been up to our necks in pasta. Or in Italian wine. Or in dancin' ladies."

"Or in frescoes," Charlie sarcastically added.

"Or in Gucci," Shannon moaned sadly. Sawyer rolled on his side and looked at her.

"You fixin' to tell me that you'd prefer wearing a heap of dead cow skin over some of the finest culinary masterpieces in the world? Girl, I knew there was something off about you."

"I'm not up with the "dancing ladies", either, asshole." He laughed and rose to his feet, looking down at her with a classic smirk on his face.

"Well, since I've been denied that pleasure, darlin', you'll suffice." Shannon looked at him in disgust, and very politely, threw him the finger. Sawyer hooted, and grabbed her hand.

"I think I know one dirty girl who deserves to get her evil soul cleaned!" he shouted, and hauled a shrieking Shannon up. Holding her wrists while she squirmed and giggled, he kicked Charlie softly in the side, who looked absolutely affronted before realizing what the Southerner had in mind. A cheeky grin spread across his face and he leapt up to help. The two of them grabbed the twisting girl and hauled her off towards the ocean.

"DO IT, AND I'LL KILL YOU!" She screamed, laughing and fighting at the same time, "NO! SAWYER, let me GO! Charlie, Claire will dismember you!"

"What Claire don't know don't hurt her, love." Charlie announced apologetically, a twinkle in his eye, "Sorry, Shan. The man's a bastard, but he's a right good one."

"Hold your nose, Sticks!" Sawyer bellowed, and the two of them dunked her into the blue sea. She came up a moment later, sputtering with anger. The men stood at the edge of the shore, laughing and pointing. It only infuriated her more, and she dove towards them, pulling her unsuspecting tormentors into the water, making sure they both tripped and fell headfirst. As they came back up, she was ready with a huge splash, with earned them both even more water in their faces.

The three of them splashed around, unaware of their audience.

"Well, that's new," Michael commented, an eyebrow raised, "Sawyer getting along with other human beings?" Hurley picked up Shannon's coconut and bounced it on his knee.

"Don't think to much into it, dude. He's probably going to hoard them too." Michael laughed and turned back towards the jungle, where Kate, Jack, and Sayid emerged from, batting away branches and leaves.

"Next order of business," Jack said angrily, pulling leaves out of his shirt, and obligingly, out of Kate's hair, "…is making a damn path."

Kate flipped her hair over and ran her fingers through it several times, "You suggested it, Jack. Tell me when and where and I'm showing up." She flipped it back over and looked out to the sea, where a squeal had caught her by surprise, "Who is that?"

"Sawyer, Shannon, and Charlie have decided that the term 'work' need not apply to them," Michael responded dryly, picking up a couple branches to add to the kindling pile under his arm. Jack swore silently, looking more like a befuddled parent than group leader. He walked with Sayid to the edge of the shade, and looked out towards the three laughing people.

"And when your skin starts to peel off from all the third-degree sunburns you'll get, don't come crying to me," he yelled out. The splashing stopped as Shannon yelled truce.

"Face it, Jack," she yelled back, hands on her hips, living up to her "Princess" nickname, "Sun Hot. Water Cold. You're a doctor, you can figure it out." She then fell forward, cursing Charlie on the way down, "I said Truce, moron!" Jack sighed and turned to Sayid, ready to complain to one of the only other men he knew would act like an adult. However, he stopped short when he saw the expression on Sayid's face. Instead of the aggravated look that he expected to see, Sayid's mouth was twisted up into a wistful smile, his eyes focused on the scene below.

"Sayid!" Shannon yelled when she regained her balance, "Come play with me!" The water rippled around her bikini clad legs, and the sun added a golden tint to her mostly bare upper body, dripping with water. She looked, Jack admitted to himself, sensational. He diverted his gaze to the man beside him when he heard Sayid draw in a quick breath. The smile had disappeared, and in it's place, an intense and smoldering stare directed towards the laughing blonde. Jack looked at him, confused, and as soon as Sayid noticed he was under scrutiny, turned around and walked off, silently disappearing into the foliage behind him.

In the sea, Shannon frowned. He'd been doing that a lot lately, avoiding her when she said hello, or not coming to sit by her fire like he normally did. She would have chalked it off as irritation over their situation, but it just didn't….seem like him. They had held the promise of a great friendship, and she wasn't one who was used to men blowing her off. Shaking hair out of her head, she resolved to talk to him about it after.

After she gave Sawyer and Charlie a taste of their own medicine.

Author Notes:

So, it has started. My first "Lost" fanfic. If Sawyer and Charlie seem a little OOC, well, the heat's done stranger things to people. And for those whose head's exploded at the thought of a shirtless and wet Dom and Josh, chocolate and offers of firstborns may be included with reviews. Will update soon! 


	2. In The Caves

Title: Hot Child

Author: Lazuli

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Lost is owned by that glorious bastard, J.J. Abrams. Love you, sugarplum.

Summary: A mercilessly hot day on the island inspires Shannon Rutherford to "take a day off". Swims, laziness, and hanging around the men of the island seem like a perfect way to pass the time. More importantly, she wants to know why Sayid has been avoiding her…

Chapter Two

"…in The Caves"

The jungle hummed with life, leaves softly swaying in the breeze, the chatter of animals running like a nonstop soundtrack. Shielded from the heavy sun, the trees were thick with vegetation, showing no signs of growing barren due to the rapid picking of it's fruit. Everything had its place, which made the uneasy survivors feel like trespassers every time they dared step beyond the beach. It was almost as if a stern eye had suddenly been cast upon them, making them feel watched and exposed. It was an uncomfortable feeling for most.

For Shannon, however, it was a bunch on green stuff that would occasionally fall down her shirt. Unlike the others, she had absolutely no problem stomping through the great green beyond, mashing whatever got in her way. It wasn't any different from fighting her way through a crowd in order to get to a bar, just a lot less quiet. Swinging her pink purse, she wrapped the shawl Sun had graciously lent her even tighter around her shoulders to protect against the harsh branches. Sometimes it worked-

"OW! JESUS!"

Sometimes it didn't.

She stopped and examined one of her legs. A branch had swiped across her path and scraped across her kneecap, leaving a slightly bloody scratch. Nothing serious, just incredibly unattractive. Sticking her finger in her mouth, she used her spit to wipe away some of the blood, as Sun would most likely kill her if even a drop of blood was found on the shawl. Shannon remained in that position for a few more moments, then straightened and looked at the sun.

"So hot," she sang under her breath, "soooo….hot," and continued on her way to the caves, "The RAPE Caves," she added disparagingly. Why Jack had even bothered to remain there was beyond her comprehension. After Claire had returned, he had insisted on doubling the watch so that nothing else would have a chance in harming the survivors. However, most everyone else had chosen to head for the caves. It seemed to her that Jack had taken this "Me Leader!" role far too seriously. He had yelled at her twice yesterday for going off on her own to search for fruit, to which she simply rolled her eyes, and then stuck her tongue out when he turned his back. No one had seen, except Walt, who giggled softly. She liked that kid.

Up ahead, she could hear Sawyer and Charlie cursing at each other at a hearty rate. After their united front dedicated to dunking Shannon, the two quickly dissolved back into taunting each other, their preferred curse words being either incredibly British, or ridiculously Southern.

"Slimy gut-throated cattle-jumpin'…"

"Bloody git of a wanker…" which made her laugh out loud, until she heard, "Don't think we won't come back there and give you a second helpin- of water in that pretty little face!" Increasing her pace, she caught up with the two other men, who looked at her in a bemused fashion. Sawyer rung his shirt out again, and slapped it over the shoulder of his bare chest.

"Poncy little model," Charlie muttered.

"And don't you forget it, Shorty."

Shannon's mouth quirked into a smile, "We should give you a nickname, Sawyer. Since you seem to freaking love doing it to us."

"I can think of a few," Charlie said, earning a glare from Sawyer.

"So can I," Boone added, falling into step with them, "Where the hell have you three been?"

"Didn't you hear, pretty boy?" Sawyer responded, lazily draping an arm around Shannon, who would have twisted it off had she not enjoyed the reddening of Boone's face, "Me and your little sis have been getting miiiiiiiighty acquainted down in the water."

"Oh, I don't know," Shannon said, "I'd say you and Charlie were getting along a lot better." Sawyer looked at her like she had told him she was really a man, and then looked at Charlie, who, with perfect timing, blew him a kiss.

"Okay," Boone said, glaring at both Shannon and Sawyer, "if you guys are done screwing around, I'd like to remind you that we have jobs to do. Just because it's a little hot out doesn't mean the three of you can go off doing whatever you damn feel like. Get back to the caves and help." And with that, he stalked off, leaving the aforementioned three looking annoyed.

"UGH," Shannon cried, exasperated, "Jackass."

"That one's taken," Sawyer reminded her.

"Bugger it, Shan," Charlie said, sticking his thumb in the direction Boone had left, "he's just sad because his master left on another hunting trip without him." The image of Boone as a yapping dog caused all three of them to laugh, and as Charlie slung an arm around her waist, they walked out of the foliage and into the clearing where the caves were.

Everyone looked up from their work to see the unlikely linked-and-laughing trio, poking fun at Boone and strutting towards the small group of Kate, Sayid, Jack, Michael, and Hurley. Claire was sound asleep against the back of the cave, her hand resting on a protective Vincent, crawled up in front of her. When he saw her, Charlie immediately quieted down.

"How is she?" he asked Jack, as he and his companions sat down to join the group. Jack scratched the back of his neck and looked back at her.

"She's fine, Charlie," he said, his voice weary, "I've checked on her every hour. She'll be okay." The younger man's face looked relieved, and barely kept his happy grin in check.

"We're trying to figure out the best way to hike up the island," Kate explained, tucking her hair behind her ear, "it's confusing, but we think we might have a plan, thanks to the maps that Sayid brought back with him." Shannon looked at him, excited.

"Did you find out anything else from those translations?" she asked. _Look at me_, a little voice desperately shouted in her head.

"I've just managed to draw some things into scale," he said quietly, not meeting her gaze. Shannon felt something in her stomach twist in disappointment. Again, he was avoiding her. She had made it clear to herself that today was the day in which she confronted him about his weird behavior, but getting him alone was proving to be harder than she thought. Plus, the way his eyes had grazed over her, hanging over two men laughing with her, had made her feel a little guilty.

_You don't belong to him_, she told herself, physically straightening her back to show she wasn't bothered by his coldness. Shannon tossed her hair, and focused in on what Michael was saying.

"…if we can possibly leave in a few days, with enough food and ammunition, we can last more than a week out there," he said, motioning to the jungle, "now, we know that this way…." Everyone strained to look at the small piece of paper he was referring to, "could be quicker thanks to the rocks. But if we travel by the beach, we can surpass some of those mountains." He leaned back to ponder the routes, "I like the beach way better."

Hurley disagreed, and pointed out faults in Michael's plan. The others joined, arguing over which path was better. Shannon looked at Sawyer, who was staring off into the distance with a faraway look in his eye. Noticing her looking at him, he turned to her and raised an eyebrow. She jerked her head towards the small pool and waved her hand like a fan in front of her face, feigning heat.

"Already?" he asked. Jack looked up.

"Already what?" Shannon stood up and in one motion, threw off Sun's shawl to reveal her bikini.

"We're leaving this Swiss Family Robison crap to you guys," she said. Everyone stared at her blankly. "Come ON!" Shannon gestured to the other people around the caves, who were one by one stopping what they were doing and either scooping water from the pool into their face, or resting underneath a tree.

"It's like 1000 degrees out, and you duds want to go hiking," she announced, pulling her hair back, "Well, I'm hot as hell, and I'm going swimming." Shannon reached over and pulled Kate up with her, "and you're coming with me. I refuse to be stuck with The Grabby-Hands Brothers."

"Man, she's right," Hurley complained, fanning himself with Boone's copy of Watership Down, "maybe we just need to take a break from all this."

"Right on," Shannon said, "Charlie, you coming with?" Charlie shook his head and made his way to the back of the cave to be with Claire, "Fine, Jack? Michael? Sawyer, I know you're up for it," the blonde man climbed to his feet.

"Ain't every day a man gets to enjoy the company of two lovely ladies such as yourselves," he said with a leer. Jack had initially declined, but at this statement, jumped up like a flash and announced he was in. Sawyer stopped smiling, but joined as the group made its way to the pool. Sayid remained crouched over the map, until a shadow obstructed his view.

"Now I know YOU have to be sick of maps," a teasing voice came gently. He looked up as Shannon sat down beside him. Strong, she reminded herself, be assertive. Sayid looked away.

"I need to read these designs," he said softly, keeping his head turned away from her. Shannon bit her lip.

"For Christ sakes, give it a rest! You've been working nonstop on this stuff. You NEED to take a break," she reached over and placed her hand on his arm. At her touch, his head jerked up. His dark brown eyes slowly connected with hers, and she felt her breath catch in her throat. _Wow!_, the little voice squealed. She had forgotten how it felt to be the subject of that unrelenting and intense stare, how it made her feel like a deer caught in the headlights, yet sent a pleasing shiver down to the small of her back. Shannon felt a bead of sweat start to collect on her forehead

"I really need to….do this," he answered in that delicious deep voice of his, the last word unintentionally ending in a sort of growl. Shannon's stomach twisted.

"Sayid…." She whispered. His eyes held hers. The bead of sweat languidly began trailing down her face. She felt it as if someone had poured a drop of hot tea on her cheek.

"It's really hot out," she rushed out. The bead had luxoriously seeped down the side of her chin and hesitated at her jaw.

"Yes," he said, his eyes now diverted to its progress, "It's very hot out." His jaw clenched as he saw that the sweat had begun to grow heavy with moisture, hanging tantalizingly off her perfect face.

I can't take this, Shannon thought frantically, I absolutely cannot take this. Heat began to pool in the pit of her stomach. He watched the bead. It grew heavier.

"We never talk," she said, licking her lips, trying to regain composure, "I haven't seen you in so long." She took a small breath and slowly tightened her grip on his arm. As he flinched, the bead fell, and he helplessly watched it land on the upper part of her breast.

"STICKS!" a voice slashed through the moment, "BACKUP IS REQUIRED!" As Shannon turned to look at Sawyer, who was currently being thrown into the water by both Hurley and an overenthusiastic Walt, Sayid sucked in a breath and reared to his feet. Shannon's head whipped back around, but he was quickly moving away from her. Her mouth dropped open in surprise at being abandoned the second time by the same man that morning. Hearing a noise, she turned to see Charlie staring, puzzled at her.

"What was that?" he asked, astonished. She could only shake her head.

End Chapter Two

Author notes: I'm having a lot of fun writing this story, and it's coming out at a quicker pace than I expected. The whole piece will probably be about five (snort) chapters long, so yeah…I'll be churning them out. For those who thought the Sawyer/Shannon/Charlie interaction was a little weird, I'll explain. Due to both their personalities, I find Shannon and Sawyer to be a lot alike. Also, me thinking about Josh Holloway equals Happiness. Therefore, it seems only fitting that they'd (somewhat) get along. As for Charlie, well, I just absolutely adore him, and wouldn't think twice about writing a fic with him jamming on a guitar with the Iron Giant to Phish songs. He's just that awesome. Next chapter will be in Sayid's POV. Pray that I don't spontaneously burst with lust as I try to write. crosses fingers R/R!


	3. In His Mind

Title: Hot Child

Author: Lazuli

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Lost is owned by that glorious bastard, J.J. Abrams. Love you, sugarplum.

Summary: A mercilessly hot day on the island inspires Shannon Rutherford to "take a day off". Swims, laziness, and hanging around the men of the island seem like a perfect way to pass the time. More importantly, she wants to know why Sayid has been avoiding her…

Chapter Three

"….In his Mind"

_-1 week earlier-_

Vicious, he thought, the word shaping up like spikes in his head. _It's torture, and it's wrong, and I hate it. _It went against everything he thought he knew, everything he thought was right in the world. But he could not look away, did not dare move his eyes, for fear that he would be distracted, turn away for the briefest second, turn back….and the moment would be gone. Impossible to recover in the physical sense. Impossible to forget in the mental.

He didn't mean to stumble upon her taking a bath. It had truly been an accident. He had been wandering throughout the jungle, frustrated and bored, hacking away at the trees, trying to think of something, ANYTHING, that could help them get off the island. Every possible idea had been exhausted, plans drawn up in the early hours of the morning, when the sun had just started to peek over the never-ending horizon of water, only to be ripped up minutes later. Sometimes he would grind his teeth; sometimes he would punch the sand. Most of the times, he felt like a huge sob was in the back of his throat, clawing to make it's way out. It was that feeling which was the worst, and often was the cause for him to abruptly stand and try to walk that sense of utter hopelessness off. Which led him to the jungle. Which led him to the waterfall. Which led him to her.

It amazed him how fast his emotions could change. What was once a cold and black pit of despair had been filled suddenly by a rush of heat and attraction. That feeling that twisted your innards with a death grip, causing the entirety of your body to become dizzy and unbalanced. And when it was brought on by a person, it changed into something dark, something hungry.

He had heard humming and splashing up ahead, and slowed down his steps, instantly falling back on his soldier training. Days in the Guard had taught him to be silent and swift, like a wolf stalking its prey. So he had instinctively crouched down while he walked, hiding himself in the tall grasses that surrounded the pool. He could see the top half of the cascading water, practically picturesque in its pure and untouched form. If the situation hadn't been so damn serious, he would have wished for a camera, to preserve that beauty forever. The sound of humming turned into singing, and he inched forward, until he was on the edge of the pool, hidden in the bushes. Pushing aside a few branches, he strained his eyes to make out the source of the sounds. What he saw took his breath away.

She was completely naked, her back to him, the lower half of her body completely submerged in the pool. The water made her hair shine and ripple as she swung it around her head. Soapy suds formed a protective circle around her, her hair and back dripping with frothy white bubbles from the scented shampoo she applied. He inhaled the scent. Citrus. It smelled like fresh oranges. An odd choice, he would have expected a more feminine one. Lavender, perhaps or rosemary. Not bright and bubbly oranges. She worked in the shampoo, though, still humming, her fingers massaging her scalp, shoulders tensed up as she continuously rubbed. He would have given anything to see her face in that moment. Unfortunately, she still had her back to him, which gave both a sense of relief and disappointment. He didn't think he could handle it if he saw her in her full glory. Not yet, anyways.

He drew in a breath which caught in his chest as she suddenly dipped below the water for a few seconds, frantically washing the soap out of her hair. She burst back up, breaking the surface like a mermaid, gasping for air and rubbing water from her face. Only this time, she was facing him.

A voice in his mind screamed, _turn around and walk away. _Leave before it gets too late. Yet he was rooted to the spot, helpless to move, eyes locked onto the beauty of the woman before him. She was so slick, so fresh and young. Suddenly, the idea of oranges made sense. It appealed to him, and seemed a right choice for her. Juicy and sweet, waiting to be bitten into. She was the orange.

"I want you," he caught himself whispering in a bated, pleading tone, "I want you. I want you." She couldn't hear him of course, rinsing off the rest of the suds in her body, never stopping her humming. Her eyes were half-closed, still with the glaze of sleep upon them. He didn't recognize the tune, but already knew that the melody would be forever burned into his brain, a never-ending soundtrack that played in the back of his head. This moment, this small space in time, was completely screwing up his head. Already, he felt that familiar feeling in his lower body, that sense of want and utter animalistic hunger. It had been awhile since he had been with a woman, and the close quarters with this lithe, blonde beauty was a constant reminder of yet another thing the island had denied him. He was hot, hungry, and horny as hell, and crouching down, watching a gorgeous woman splash around naked in a pool like a pathetic Peeping Tom was doing nothing for their problems. Wonderful. He was turning into Sawyer. He had forsaken his honor and respect for woman to become something he hated.

As she reached over to a nearby rock and picked up a bar of soap, he felt his stomach drop a thousand fathoms deep, and knew he couldn't stand to watch her rub it over her body. Closing his eyes, he drew in several fast breaths through his nose, and backed away through the brush, as silent as he came, though definitely not as steady. As he retreated farther and farther away, he rose to his feet and began to stride at a swift pace towards the safety of his makeshift shelter, stripping off his shirt and unbuckling his pants. The next few hours were not going to be fun.

Waking up later in the day, he rubbed the traces of sleep out of his eyes and stretched. He hadn't meant to fall asleep after…everything. It was just that the despair, so suddenly cast out of existence by one young woman, had finally caught up with him. All those sleepless nights had culminated in one epic moment, and he found himself exhausted and gratefully accepting the over-encompassing loveliness of rest. Not to say, however, that his dreams were passive. On the contrary, he dreamed of her, of her body. Of her face, or her voice, humming quietly, laughing softly, and then screaming his name. They all ended the same, in that burst of passion that made them soar heavenwards. It had been such a welcome distraction from the futility of their situation that he had greedily accepted each dream as they came.

Voices swirled in the faraway distance. Being a loner, it was only natural that his tent was set a little ways off from the others. Jack, of course, disapproved, but he knew better. A soldier always guards the perimeter.

Pulling on his pants, he wearily stumbled out of the tent, kicking his blanket back inside. He trotted down to the edge of the ocean, stopped at the edge, then cupped water in his hand and slapped it on his face, achieving a sense of awakening. Leaning over, he cupped more water and poured it over the back of his neck, flinching as the cold liquid seeped down his bare back and chest, stimulating his still sluggish nerves. It seemed like a good idea, her taking a bath. The cold water felt like Heaven on his body, and he submerged his hair, scrubbing as he had seen her done, until he reared back and felt the wet curls slap his body. He leaned over one more time, reaching for more water, when out of nowhere, he felt something splash against his back, and an infectious giggle that followed immediately after. Well, of course. Because irony didn't need to kick him in the throat enough these days.

Rising up, the water pouring down his body, he slowly turned around to face her, pasting a grin on his face. She was dressed in a pink tank top and a short denim skirt, and stood holding a cup which contents had been displaced onto his back, and she was smiling.

She giggled again, "Sorry, too tempting," He only shook his head.

"And if I were to do the same to you?" was his only response, raising a mocking eyebrow. He received that trademark withering look almost instantly. Of course. No one dicks around with the Princess and lives to tell about it.

"I'd love to see you try," she teased, flouncing a few feet away from him, then stopping.

"I'm bored," she said, her eyes squinting against the harsh sunlight, "Boone went off to play hunter again. Maybe if we're lucky, he'll bring back a dead mouse or something."

"Your faith in your brother's tracking abilities astounds me," he responded dryly. She fell into step with him as he walked towards his tent, in a more upbeat skip than his.

She brushed bits of sand from her skirt, "It's all he ever does these days, besides screwing up watches and finding every opportunity on Earth to insult me." They stopped at his tent, and he dropped to his knees to rummage through a bag in order to find a shirt. While he focused on his task of finding something suitable, he missed the way her eyes began appreciatively roaming over his bare chest, painfully aware of the lack of clothing.

"Did you just wake up," she asked him. Finding a shirt, he shrugged it on, not looking at her, and nodded. She fidgeted for a moment.

"I was thinking of going to the caves to get some more water," she continued, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, "You feel like coming? I hate walking there by myself." He met her eyes. A vision of bare bronzed skin dripping with water flashed into his mind, and his stomach contracted slightly. It was sad, and it was wretched, but he couldn't ignore the back of his mind which practically screamed, _I saw you naked!_

He realized she still stood before him, her clear eyes looking into his expectedly, almost nervously. For the first time since he had made her acquaintance, he realized how young she actually was. Hurley had said she was in her early twenties, just emerging from the awkward shell of the teenage years. Something told him, however, that her being a teenager was anything but awkward. He felt like a dirty old man, but he couldn't stop absorbing in that beautiful, petulant, face.

"I'm sorry," he found himself stammering out, suddenly eager to escape from her enthralling presence, "I have work to do." Her eyes lit up.

"Anything I can help you with?" She burst out, then immediately blushed after realizing how desperate that tone made her sound. He shook his head no.

"It's complicated, Shannon," he said, slightly biting the inside of his cheek. _Don't leave_, that persistent shout again, _Don't leave me_. She played with the end of her ponytail, clearly disappointed.

"No problem," that bitter tone he hated so much was back, "I'm just gonna go ask Sawyer then." An attempt to make him jealous. He saw right through it. "I guess I'll see you later, Sayid." More of a statement than a question.

Shannon turned around and slowly made her way back to the main camp, stopping briefly at Sawyer's tent to nag him about escorting her to the caves. Sayid watched bitterly as the charming Southern man lazily climbed to his feet and walked away with her, saying something which caused her to shriek and smack him on the arm. He was furious at himself for thinking that he'd be above her childish little game. It was clear to him that avoidance would be the key. By staying away, hecould focus more on what had to be done to get him off this island, away from the people, away from the polar bears, and more importantly away from her. Because being around her wasn't just painful.

It was intoxicating.

Author's Notes: So endeth Chapter Three. How'd you all like, "Homecoming"? Of the good? Of the bad? I'd give my opinion, except due to technical problems….I didn't see it. OR "Alias", either. WAAAAAAAAH And I even heard there was a nice little Shayid moment at the end. DAMMIT. Pissed to all hell. Must refrain from throwing VCR out of window for denying me my weekly fix of Lost/Alias. Lost was harder to bear, because or Claire coming back and the aforementioned moment. Alias was a little easier because frankly, until my boyfriend Mr. Sark comes back, I'm really not that interested. Oh God. Lost/Alias crossover. Sark and Sawyer, vying for my attentions. Two blonde, accented, bad boys. I don't think my libido could take it.

Read/Review! Tell me you love me! Feel bad for me! Wail with me on the episode missage!


	4. Out With Boone

Title: Hot Child

Author: Lazuli

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Lost is owned by that glorious bastard, J.J. Abrams. Love you, sugarplum.

Summary: A mercilessly hot day on the island inspires Shannon Rutherford to "take a day off". Swims, laziness, and hanging around the men of the island seem like a perfect way to pass the time. More importantly, she wants to know why Sayid has been avoiding her…

strums guitar Looooooost, on an iiiiiiiislaaaaaand, something something sooooooomething, all the men are goooooorgeous….I forget the words. Dammit.

Chapter 4

"…Out With Boone"

"Everybody", Charlie announced solemnly, his eyes wide, "must get stoned," and flicked a rock at the back of Boone's head, who turned around and shot him a death glare. Behind Charlie, Shannon laughed heartily.

"It would have been a lot funnier if you'd gotten him in the face," she cracked. Charlie's eyebrows shot up in a mock expression of terror.

"And thus, we'd have the mystery solved," he declared, "Boone _must_ be our mysterious jungle monster. Who else could strike fear into the hearts of men with one slightly furrowed look?"

"Or stalk angrily off like a teenage girl?" his companion added in between giggles.

"Or manage to have those luxorious locks always perfectly placed?" Sawyer bounded up behind them, showing off the dimples in his wide grin. The three snickered as Boone turned around again, his aggravation increasing by leaps and bounds.

"I told you three to shut up if you wanted to come along," he hissed, spit flying from his harsh words. Sawyer made a face.

"Say it don't spray it, Metro," he said. Boone's face turned an ugly shade of red, and he whipped around and started walking off towards the forest. Shannon punched Charlie in the arm.

"See!" she said, "Stalking!" The three hurried after his receding figure. After Shannon had rescued Sawyer from the clutches of Walt, Hurley, and later on, after he discovered Sawyer trying to look up Kate's shirt, a vengeful knife-wielding Jack, the two had crossed paths with Charlie. The smaller man had looked somewhat down after spending time with the sleeping Claire, and Shannon's heart had melted. It was extremely obvious that Charlie cared about Claire and her child more than anyone else on the island, and it was both touching and heartbreaking to watch. Seeing him in the depressed state had struck a hardly-used sympathetic chord within her, and she resolved to cheer him up. Besides, even though she bitched at the both of them, she couldn't deny that she enjoyed their company. Sawyer's charming snarkiness, mixed with Charlie's good-humored sarcasm, put her in a good mood, which was rare. And since she had nothing to do, and the maddeningly hot temperature continued to rise, it was only natural that she said screw it to all her other duties, and hang out with her two new friends. So after spotting Boone, the three had pleaded with him to let them accompany him on a "hunting expedition". For Boone, it meant a chance to show off his new skills. For Shannon, Sawyer, and Charlie, it meant a chance to do something all three found they had a knack for: Ripping Boone a new asshole.

The hunting party was now currently situated on the outskirts of a wide clearing. Boone clutched his knife, eyes forward, scanning the tall grass and trees. Behind him, with one of Locke's knives that he had sworn to protect "with his life", Charlie made exaggerated stabbing motions at Boone's back.

"We have to be quiet," Boone murmured, "steady…like a lion hunting its prey." Shannon almost lost it. Jamming her fist in her mouth, her body shook with silent laughter as she watched her step-brother's unintentionally hilarious attempt at masculinity. Sawyer controlled himself, however, and leaned down next to Boone, pretending to be completely absorbed in every word he said.

"What should we do?" he asked, a note of fear in his voice, glancing back at Shannon and Charlie to wink. Boone didn't even notice.

"Keep focusing," his voice dropped to an almost fevered whisper, "It'll come to you, that's what Locke says. You'll just know what comes next." Keeping up with Sawyer, Charlie crawled forward on his belly, military style, up to Boone's other side.

"I don't know if I can do this," his voice squeaked, "But if I just concentrate, it'll come natural, right? And then we can do it?" Boone looked at him.

"You can. You'll know what comes next." Charlie didn't miss a beat.

"Die," he said. Boone looked confused.

"Die, Die, Die, Pig, Die," Charlie whispered back to him. Boone still looked confused, but when Sawyer broke out in hysterics, he scowled.

"Die, Die, Die, Pig, Die!" Charlie stood up, raising his voice, "Fuck the police!" Boone shot to his feet.

"I knew this was a bad idea," he seethed, glaring at Charlie, then looked at Shannon, "I don't want you hanging around with them." Shannon finally let it loose.

"I'll keep that in mind, Croc Hunter," she snorted. Charlie was still dancing around.

"Cop killer, better you than me!" he rapped loudly, throwing his arms up and down like Jay-Z, "Cop killer, fuck police brutality!" Boone threw them one final look of disgust, then crashed through the underbrush, all his former attempts at being a silent hunter dissipated. Shannon watched him go.

"What a tool," she said, and then looked back at Sawyer and Charlie, who had stopped rapping, but gave her the "West Side" symbol with his hands. Shannon sighed, but was pleased.

"Come on, Ice-T," she said, reluctantly following Boone's tattered path, "All this thug-lovin' is making me hungry."

"So, we need to do something incredibly awesome," Hurley said to Claire, while cutting up bits of fruit for her to eat. She tucked her hair behind her ear, then gratefully accepted the piece he offered. Sun knelt down beside her and offered her a cup of tea she had prepared over the campfire she shared with Jin. Claire drank the contents greedily, rubbing one hand over her stomach as she did so. Sun could always be counted on to provide a herb that would cure some mysterious ailment, and with Claire being pregnant, anything that could help ease her discomfort was appreciated.

"Thank you," she murmured, and Sun smiled happily.

"If the baby begins to kick," she spoke in her halting English, "You will come get me?" Claire nodded at once. Sun loved to feel the child kick in Claire's belly, and Claire was always tickled pink by Sun's beautifully tinkling laughter. The Korean woman patted Claire's shoulder one more time, and then set off towards the beach. Hurley watched her go.

"I still can't get over the fact that she can speak English", he wondered aloud. Claire drained the cup of tea, then wiped her mouth with her sleeve.

"Thank God she does," she responded, "Honestly, mate, she's worked wonders for me. If she hadn't been around, I'd be wallowing somewhere like a beached whale." Hurley turned and looked pointedly at her, sprawled out on the floor of the cave. Claire smiled.

"Oh, shut up," she said, picking up a nearby leaf and throwing it at him, "So, you were saying something about fun?"

"It just got me thinking," Hurley said, "I mean, I'm not one for all this moping around crap. Sure, it sucks that we're here, but look at everyone," he waved to the camp, where the heat had bowled people over, and the pool was slowly filling with people.

"We need to do SOMETHING for everyone. No one's up for work right now, not in this weather."

"It's the middle of the day, Hurley," Claire soothed, "It'll get cooler at when night comes." Hurley handed her more cut-up pieces of fruit. He looked dejected, and Claire's heart went out to him. Hurley was a fun-loving person by nature, and never did anything mean or spiteful to anyone. The whole time they had been stuck here, it was Hurley who constantly organized things to boost people's morale, from the golf course, to an inspired karaoke session with Charlie on the guitar, to endlessly providing bad jokes for everyone to groan at, yet secretly love. His attitude had caused Sawyer to dub him, "The Vacation Events Planner," a title, which it seemed, that Hurley had taken on proudly. If Jack was the leader of the group, then Hurley was undoubtedly the heart.

"Alright, I'm interested," she confessed. His eyes lit up, "Tell me what's going on in that head of yours." Hurley smiled broadly.

"A luau."

"A…what?" Kate asked.

"A luau," Jack responded, pulling down palm fronds, "Hurley wants to have a luau. Give people something to do, take their minds off of being lost for awhile" Kate followed him, picking up the palm fronds that escaped his grasp.

"And, what? Are you going to help him?" she asked again.

Jack shrugged lightly. "It's not a half-bad idea. Everyone's nerves are shot. I think it'd be a welcome distraction." Shaking her head, Kate was bemused.

"Always the doctor," she commented wryly. He smiled broadly, a flash of white teeth and All-American good looks, and dropped the palm fronds onto a nearby blanket, indicating she do the same with hers.

"You should come," he said, "Maybe we can do a luau dance or something." Kate tilted her head, pretending to muse on the subject.

"Will I have to wear a grass skirt?" she asked in a teasing tone. Jack's eyes twinkled, and he knew he had her.

"I'll make it myself," he promised, a hand over his heart. His smile captivated her, and she couldn't help returning it.

"Dinner, dancing, and you're buying the dress?" she said, "How can I refuse?"

End Chapter Four

Author's Notes: No Sayid in this one, but I was itching to write other characters, even if it is Jack and Kate, who are still awesome, but not as cool as Sayid. Making this a two-person story was my main objective at first, but then I realized how boring it would have become, and decided to blow that idea out of the water. That being said, I LOVE writing the hijinks of my beloved Unholy Trio, Shannon/Sawyer/Charlie. They're dancing around in my head, begging to be let onto new adventures. After this story is done, I might consider writing a series of stories based on those three crazy kids. Don't mind the Boone torture, I really do love him, but he can be such a doof sometimes. Also, Hurley! Love him. I do indeed. I know it's a bit cliché to make him organize all the Island Events, but he's a fun guy, and I'm willing to let him have a crack at whatever he wants. Stay tuned for the luau scene, which should be in a couple of chapters. It'll be hot, I promise you. No Shayid in this chapter, and there will be a little in the next, but whoo boy, do I have some great stuff planned. Keep reviewing, guys! I'm so delighted with all the great responses I've been getting.

P.S. Don't kill Sayid or Shannon, Abrams. If you think Vaughn getting tortured was bad, wait until you see what I have planned for you, should my demands be forsaken. You'll be BEGGING for death.

P.S.S. I was kidding. I won't really kill you. I love you, baby, You know that. It's just, you make me so angry sometimes. Look, I bought you flowers! Now re-instate David Anders and let Joss Whedon write some episodes.


	5. In a Triangle

Title: Hot Child

Author: Lazuli

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Lost is owned by that glorious bastard, J.J. Abrams. Love you, sugarplum.

Summary: A mercilessly hot day on the island inspires Shannon Rutherford to "take a day off". Swims, laziness, and hanging around the men of the island seem like a perfect way to pass the time. More importantly, she wants to know why Sayid has been avoiding her…

(blows whistle) Here's a new chappie for you, kittens! Enjoy!

Looooooost……on an islaaaaaaaaaaand……faaaaaaaar from hooooooome…….

DAMN YOU, KIMMEL!

Chapter Five

"…In a Triangle"

"So, you never really told me what was going on with you and Sayid in the caves," Charlie trotted next to Shannon, who was in turn delicately following the path her upset stepbrother had made, "It looked pretty heavy to me."

Apparently, Boone had something akin to a temper tantrum while stalking off after Charlie and Sawyer poked fun at him, because the path he had formed was full of trashed trees and flattened grass. Shannon could just picture him swinging his fists around at anything that came in contact. He hated to be teased, and for a second, she felt bad.

It went away fast.

"Sayid?" Sawyer was intrigued by the new piece of information, "Now there's something I didn't see comin'….when did this exciting event occur?"

"In the caves," Charlie rushed out, gossiping like a teenage girl, "You should have SEEN the way he was staring at her, poor blighter, I was five seconds away from throwing a bloody Trojan at the two of you…"

"Could we please not talk about me and Sayid?" Shannon ground out, her eyes flashing at Charlie. He shut up at her glare, but looked as if he still had plenty more to say on the subject. If there was one thing on the island that Charlie has respect for, it was Shannon's fabulous flair for bitchiness. The blonde girl could put Paris Hilton herself to shame. Fortunately for Charlie, Sawyer lacked his conscience.

"Now hold on one second, Sticks," he halted, causing the other two to stop, "I'll admit this has got me interested. You tellin' me that Omar's got a thang for you?" Shannon huffed, her face going red.

"No one has a thing for me! Jeez! Stop talking about it!"

"Why are you so mad about it then?" He poked and prodded, knowing he had hit a sensitive spot. Shannon looked like she was going to explode.

"We're just friends. Leave it at that!" She pushed past the two of them and continued down the path at a faster pace, leaving her bewildered companions behind. Charlie looked puzzled, but Sawyer had a grin stretching slowly across his face. When Charlie noticed it, he looked at Sawyer, perplexed.

"Now what the hell are you thinking?"

At the camp...

The overwhelmingly positive response of the survivors concerning the luau surprised and thrilled Hurley. In the midst of people shouting out ideas, he threw up his hands.

"Okay, people!" he bellowed, "I totally am up for hearing whatever you want to see, but one at a time!" A darker woman who looked to be of Spanish descent pushed forward.

"In this heat…" her deep, accented voice spoke, "we will fall quickly to exhaustion. When do you propose on carrying out this event?"

Hurley nodded; it was a good question, "Definitely at night time. So as the day starts to cool off a bit, I'm thinking we should start collecting bamboo, get some tiki torches going, see what we have for food rations." The same woman raised her voice again.

"If you would like," she offered, "My husband and I could bring our guitars. We would be happy to provide music to all." Hurley liked that idea.

"Yeah, that'd be great. We've got another guitar player, Charlie, at the caves, maybe you guys could like, I don't know, start jamming or something." He pretended to hit some notes on an air guitar, causing a couple of people to laugh, "No, don't laugh! I'm serious! Our own Island Band!" Behind him, Michael started banging on rocks with some pieces of wood, twirling them as if they were drumsticks.

"Okay, so, yeah. Bamboo, start making torches, and collect food. Don't strain yourself, because if you keel over and die, you're the main course." There was another shout of laughter, and people began to slowly drift around, seeing what kinds of things they could bring to the festivities later tonight. Hurley plopped down next to Claire. She was smiling.

"You're a great guy, Hurley," she said softly, putting her hand on his. Hurley basked in the admiration.

"Someone's gotta make sure people don't go crazy," he responded, putting his hands behind his head. Michael continued beating the rocks with the sticks, and Walt joined him with his own set of "drums", concocted out of empty water bottles. The two began to wail away at a crazy tempo, and Michael's face reflected the pure joy he felt when he bonded with his son. The two then picked up their newfound instruments and went banging away towards the beach. As the sound of the drumming receded, however, a new one was made when Shannon crashed furiously through the brush.

"What's up, Shannon." Hurley said in greeting, nodding his head towards her. She flopped down next to Claire, crossing her arms, pouting. A minute later, softer rustling was heard, and Charlie and Sawyer emerged sheepishly from the same path Shannon had come storming from. Claire looked at the livid Shannon, then back at the two men.

"Dare I ask?" she said, looking at Charlie. Charlie bit his lip, and looked at Sawyer, who shook his head warningly.

"We just thought that-"

"SOME people," Shannon bit off his sentence angrily, her face still red, "…have a habit of jumping to conclusions when they're not wanted to."

"Shannon, if you're still mad at what we said about Say-" Charlie stopped when he saw the look Shannon threw him. It plainly said, 'Shut up, or I'll remove your tongue.' Hurley, sensing the negative emotions around him, tried for a different topic.

"So, you guys hear about my luau?" he asked in a bright and happy tone. Shannon was instantly distracted, her scowl disappearing, her angry face becoming curious.

"A luau?" she asked, excitedly, "When?" Hurley tried not to notice the grateful glances that Charlie was throwing him.

"Tonight," he responded, gathering some flowers near to him, and using twine to bind them, "I've got a bunch of people looking for cool stuff already. I don't know…it's just something to do. But," this time he addressed Charlie, "there's a couple of people who are bringing their guitars. It'd be cool if you guys could start rocking out." At the mere mention of music, Charlie's eyes lit up, and he nodded his head up and down vigorously.

"As much as I hate to miss the Prom," Sawyer drawled, always the one to throw a downpour on things, "I've got a lot of better things to do than waste my time shakin' my caboose in a grass skirt." Shannon's eyes went wide.

"GRASS SKIRTS?" She yelped, jumping to her feet, "If you even THINK I'm letting that nasty, disgusting crap on my legs, you're crazy. I am not doing it…I won't."

"No one's wearing a grass skirt," Hurley told her, "At least, I think they're not. But that's not to say it's a bad idea…"He never got a chance to finish, as Shannon rounded on Sawyer.

"You're going," she said in a no-bullshit tone, "If anyone is going to protect me from Boone's wrath, it's you and the druggie."

"Hey!" Charlie yelped, clearly affronted.

"I'm not going," Sawyer said in a final tone, crossing his arms, "And you can't make me." Shannon kicked him in the shin, but it had no effect, other than him rolling his eyes. Hurley shook his head in disgust, but was distracted by a person who had entered the cave area.

"Sayid!" he waved to the Iraqi, grateful the Middle Eastern man had shown up, "Come here, man!" Sayid looked up, and walked leisurely over to the group. Charlie and Sawyer tried not to look at Shannon, who had stopped kicking Sawyer, and now stood nervously behind him.

"Hurley, my friend," Sayid smiled slightly, "People are running around like mice on a day when they should be laying down in rest, and I am hearing that this is because of you."

"So you've got to come," Hurley said, "It's a good thing, really. Everybody's going, well, almost everyone…" He looked pointedly at Sawyer.

"You came just in time," Claire said teasingly to Sayid, "Maybe you can help us persuade Sawyer into making an appearance tonight. Shannon's trying her best, but I think one more opinion would help."

Sayid turned slowly to lock eyes with Shannon, who froze like a deer in headlights. The fresh memory of the two of them exchanging heated glances in the cave earlier in the day sprang to her mind. She tried not to focus on the spot on his skin where she had run her fingers along.

"Yeah," she said, licking her suddenly dry lips, "He's being a total baby about the whole thing." Sayid continued to gaze at her.

"I'm sure," he spoke slowly, his eyes taking on that intensity that drew her to him, "That you're trying your best." She just nodded, suddenly aware of how her body was slowly flushing.

Not a second of this was missed by Sawyer.

"Since you've got such faith in the Princess," he said to Sayid; that Cheshire Cat smile once again making its presence known, "How could I possibly say no?" He looked positively elated with himself. Sayid was taken aback, but quickly recovered.

"I'm pleased to hear it," he responded, both his words and tone lacking conviction. Sawyer looked delighted at that response.

"But only," he said, twisting the knife, "If Sticks will be my date." Shannon whirled around, her enraptured study of Sayid cut short.

"Hell no!" She shrieked, "You goddamn scumbag, like I'd ever let you paw me!"

"Shan," Claire tried to interrupt; throwing a disgusted look at Sawyer, but the other blonde would have none of it, and started wailing away on Sawyer with her fists. Charlie, however, held Claire back, realization dawning on him.

"No," he said, suddenly, "I think it's a great idea," Shannon stopped hitting Sawyer, and stared at Charlie.

"Ew, Charlie, I thought you'd be my backup!" she whined. Charlie looked at Sawyer, who discreetly winked at him. It strengthened the younger man's resolve, and he draped his arm around Claire.

"In fact," Charlie continued, grinning, "I think we should make this a double date! Me and Claire. You and Shan." Claire looked at him, extremely suspicious.

"You feeling alright, Char?" She asked point-blank, "I thought you didn't like Sawyer. Come to think of it, I didn't know you were best pals with her, either." Charlie shook his head, waving his hand in a dismissive fashion.

"No, no, they're good kids, I swear to you," he said, then squeezed her hand, and whispered, "I'll explain later, play along." Claire was hesitant, but obeyed.

"Okay," she said, putting a bright smile on her face, "If you say so, I'm up for it." Shannon gaped at her, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly, then finally, she closed her eyes.

"This," Hurley said, looking extremely confused"….is SO weird."

"Fine," Shannon said, stomping one perfectly pedicured foot on the ground, "If that's what it'll take to make this loser go, then I'll do it. But only," she wagged a finger at the smirking Sawyer, "because I know you'll beat the ever-living crap out of Boone if he tries to get revenge on me." He shook his head in the affirmative.

"Yes, Ma'am," he bowed slightly, then promptly turned to Sayid.

"Guess I have you to thank, Ali," his face full of mischief, "I reckon she wouldn't have said yes if you hadn't come along." Sawyer almost stopped right there, after he saw Sayid's face. He had seen that expression only once before, and Sayid had been slowly brandishing a knife while Sawyer had been tied to a tree. Though his face remained passive, his eyes were absolutely murderous.

"I don't think that is the best idea," he said in a calm, even voice, but Sawyer could hear the unbridled rage beneath it. However, since pissing people off was the name of his game, and what better way to get back at the man who had mercilessly tortured him, he bravely continued, an attempt at bravado still up.

"What's the matter, boy," he piped up, drawing Shannon closer to him, knowing he was playing with fire, "You jealous?" Sayid didn't even have to say a word, the suddenly panicked look that dawned on his face was telling enough. They could all feel it. They all knew. And what was worse was that he knew they knew. SHE knew. And she could barely even look at him.

Sayid strode away from the group, desperate to put some distance between him and Shannon. She just stared at his retreating figure, even going as far as taking a few steps in the direction she had gone in. When he disappeared into the thick underbrush, she continued to watch the bushes, both hoping and fearing his sudden return. At his failure to emerge, she turned to Sawyer, her blue eyes wide.

"Why did you do that?" she asked, her voice in a half-whisper, and finding her legs suddenly unable to support her, plopped onto a rock. Sawyer jammed his hands in his pockets.

"To prove a point to you, Princess," he said, "Since you're obviously too blind to see it for yourself."

"Dude," Hurley said, his mouth breaking into a smile, "This is like a freaking _soap opera_…" Claire secretly agreed, but looked at Charlie.

"And you're in on this too?" she asked him, her eyes searching his. He wagged his eyebrows playfully, the answer obvious. Shannon couldn't believe them, but at the same time….Sayid. His face had been so powerful, his eyes burning. To strike that match, to feel that heat, but by herself, where her friends weren't around to protect her….

"You guys…" her voice still retained that whispery quality, "are insane."

"And YOU," Claire lugged a still-dazed Shannon to her feet, "are going to look bloody fantastic for tonight, if I have anything to say about it."

"She might take that personal," Sawyer commented, waving his face with a palm frond, enjoying all the tension he had been responsible for, "But while you're at it, make sure she wears something short. And easy to take off." Shannon wrinkled her nose, but felt a nervous anticipation flutter in her stomach.

"You're lucky you're so charming," she said to him, her voice strengthened, "Or I really would have killed you." Sawyer snickered.

"Get going, Cinderella," he started pushing her and Claire towards the caves, "I expect nothing short o' perfection tonight." The girls nodded, Claire a little more enthusiastically than Shannon, who had reverted to blushing like a schoolgirl again, throwing sneaky little glances at the bushes Sayid had gone into, as if expecting him to pop out. They began to walk towards the caves when Shannon had suddenly screeched, "MY MAKEUP!", and took off like a deer towards the beach, forcing Claire to waddle impatiently after her.

"Hey Charlie," she called, turning to him a little ways down the path, "You weren't joking around about that double date thing, were you?" Charlie's face broke out in an enthusiastic smile.

"If she's Cinderella," he yelled back, "Then I want you to be my Sleeping Beauty!" The pregnant Australian looked touched, and blushed very much like her flustered friend had. Charlie turned to Sawyer.

"There ya go," he announced proudly, "I can be as much of a cad as you are."

"Maybe," Sawyer responded, "But you're not even close to being half the bastard I am." He chuckled with a mock evil, and tossed the palm frond to the side.

"Come on, Jabba," he punched Hurley in the arm, "What say you and me discuss _exactly_ what's going down tonight…"

End Chapter Five

Author's Notes: "I'm about to sign you up, We can get right before the night is up, we can get riiiiiiiight, get riiiiiiiight..." (turns around sheepishly to face audience) Uh, yeah. Pretend you didn't see me singing Jennifer Lopez. PLEASE.

It's remarkable how fast a fic comes out when you play music while writing. For this particular story, my song of choice is Meredith Brooks, "What Would Happen". It just fits, and plus, the song is TEH. SEXY. So, the fic continues! Jealousy! Anger! Angst! Betrayal! Holy...shit, Hurley's right. This IS a soap opera! Cue the dramatic music! Or...not, because I'll probably look at you extremely oddly. Then again, I was just bouncing around my room singing J.Lo, and that wasn't a lie. She's just so damn infectious, I can't help myself. Arrrgh. Also, I just went on a shopping spree at Hollister, and I had to model off my new clothes, which means dancing. Never be 20 and a girl, and work at a clothing store, is my advice to you. I work at Pacific Sunwear, and do you think my paycheck goes towards bills? NO. It goes towards clothes. Clothes, Clothes, Clothes.

Dear God. I AM Shannon. A more roguish, charming Shannon ( A She-Gambit of Lostfic writers, if you will), but Shannon nonetheless. If any devestatingly sexy Iraqis pop up in my near future, you guys will be the first to know...

Read/Review! All these reviews make me happy! You're all fabulous. Be my minions. And your homework is to write a Shayid fic yourself. I'm seeing a lot pop up around here, but we need to GROW!


	6. On A Rampage

Author: Lazuli

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Lost is owned by that glorious bastard, J.J. Abrams. Love you, sugarplum.

Summary: A mercilessly hot day on the island inspires Shannon Rutherford to "take a day off". Swims, laziness, and hanging around the men of the island seem like a perfect way to pass the time. More importantly, she wants to know why Sayid has been avoiding her…

A new chapter. Happy Birthday, bitches. (gives all the SawyerSmirk)

Chapter Six

"…on a Rampage"

Claire desperately tried to keep up with Shannon, who, in some other life, must have enjoyed fame as an Olympic track runner.

"SHANNON!" she shouted at the receding figure in the distance, hoping to God that her water didn't break right there on the path. No response, the other blonde just kept running towards the beach, oblivious to everything and everyone around her. It was cute, really it was, but when you had an extremely pregnant girl waddling after you at half the speed of a koala bear, it was a bit much. Claire was seriously beginning to think of asking Walt to borrow Vincent's leash for Shannon. A bit drastic, yes, but very necessary.

"Should you be…" Locke didn't even have a chance to finish his sentence, as Claire just huffed by him, waving a hand to show that she was in a hurry. His eyebrows knit together in concern, "Claire, you should be resting."

"No time!" Claire gasped, "Have…to….catch….Shannon," Locke smirked, having seen the aforementioned girl bound past him a minute earlier, screaming and hollering about lipstick and eyeshadow. He assumed Claire had some knowledge of what was going on, but felt agitated about seeing the pregnant Australian running around in this state. Falling into step beside her for a few moments, he handed her his half-empty water bottle.

"I imagine you need this more than I do," he said kindly, and veered off into the brush before Claire had a chance to properly thank him. She unscrewed the cap and took a swig, cursing Shannon in her mind. Normally, if they were attending Hurley's run-of-the-mill-island-activity, Shannon wouldn't care half as much about her appearance. Showing up with a smug grin that plainly stated, "I'm the prettiest one here, and you all know it," was all she ever brought to the party. However, these circumstances were different. Wildly different. And Claire wouldn't even give a damn, if it weren't for her promise to Shannon that she'd make her look extra-special for her "date" with Sawyer tonight. Not that Shannon really cared about what Sawyer thought about her, in fact, he would probably be the farthest thing on her mind.

"Sayid," Claire muttered to herself, still somewhat in a state of disbelief, "Bloody Sayid," it had only been minutes ago when the former soldier had all but admitted his admiration for Shannon in front of them, and the repercussions were astounding. Shannon's newfound friendship with Charlie and Sawyer had struck something of a sympathetic chord in the two men, because both eagerly volunteered to set up a scheme in which she and Shannon would be their dates to Hurley's luau later that night. Sawyer had exclaimed that it was high time Shannon got a clue and realized that Sayid was crazy about her. Claire thought it was a nice gesture from him, especially given his reputation around the rest of the group. Charlie, though…her mouth twisted in an excited grin. She couldn't deny that the thought of going on a date with Charlie made her anxious, but in a very good way. Even if it did have an ulterior motive.

Red-faced and ready to kick Shannon in the bottom, Claire finally reached the edge of the beach, and made her way to Shannon's makeshift tent. She knew Shannon was there from the frustrated squeals that punctuated the crash of the waves on the shore, and from the various articles of clothing that were flying out of the tarp. Boone would have a fit once he saw the mess his sister had made. Claire huffed and sat down next to her friend's tent, massaging her stomach and whispering soothing apologies to her kicking unborn child.

"I'd like to remind you that as much as I'd love to help you, I'm in no freaking condition to be running after you like that," she snapped, unable to keep the tiredness out of her voice. The rustling in the tent stopped, and Claire saw a blonde head emerge, and Shannon's apologetic eyes stared at her.

"I'm sorry, Claire," she said, sincerely, "You know me and how I get crazy sometimes," She disappeared back into the tent, and emerged a second later with a gauzy blue top. Holding it up against her, she squealed happily.

"Gorgeous!" she shrieked. Claire bit her lip as the baby kicked again. Unfortunately, that's not how Shannon saw it. Her face dropped, and a look of horror came over her face.

"You hate it!" Shannon screeched, and threw the top down to the growing mountain of clothes on the sand. At that point, Claire was so exhausted she didn't even bother to correct her.

"How about red?" A red tank top flew out and landed near Claire's feet. Claire drank some more water, and composed herself. Leaning over, she picked up the tiny shirt, and wrinkled her nose. So skinny. She hated it.

"You're a bit sunburnt, love," Claire called back, "It'll make you look like a lobster." Shannon let out a wail inside the tent, and threw more clothes out on her tent.

"I can't believe Brian took my Prada dress," she wailed, "It would have looked so friggin' awesome on me right now, had a slit up to _there_ and everything." Claire looked at the tarp in confusion.

"Why would a man want a dress?" she asked, eyebrow raised. Shannon didn't answer, "Shannon? Shaaaaaaan…." Her inquiries were answered a moment later, when Shannon emerged from the tent, a triumphant (with, Claire admitted, a tint of crazy) grin on her face, holding a black bikini with a sheer black sarong. She wordlessly held it up to herself, looking down at her, then looked at Claire, almost timidly, for approval. Like Claire could shoot her down. It was a gorgeous piece. She let a smile slip, and nodded excitedly, so much so that Shannon yelped happily and threw herself at Claire, hugging her.

"This poor man," Claire allowed Shannon to help her to her feet, chuckling at the thought of Sayid's face when he saw Shannon in this getup, "…is going to have a heart attack." Shannon stuffed the outfit and some of her makeup into a small backpack.

"And he'll love every second of it," she crowed.

_In the forest._

"Shannon and Sawyer!" Jack looked at Sayid in amazement, lifting his head from the makeshift pillow made from his shirt, "You've got to be kidding me." Sayid didn't answer, just stared moodily into the ocean, his eyes darkening. Jack propped himself up on one arm, and stared with concern.

"I thought he liked Kate," Jack said, still not believing what he had just heard. Sayid threw a rock half-heartedly at a tree.

"Apparently, he's moved on," his voice was low, reflecting the black mood he had been in ever since he'd stumbled away from the camp, away from Sawyer's smirk, away from Charlie and Claire's confusion, and away Hurley's bewilderment. Mostly, he wanted to get away from the dawning knowledge that he saw in Shannon's eyes. She knew. She _knew_.

Jack sighed, feeling that he was in the dark about something. He was used to Sayid's fondness for brooding, but this was to the extremes.

"Well," he said, sipping his water, and tossing it to Sayid, who caught it with his perfect reflexes, "I can't exactly say I'm sorry to see he's moved on. The way he would look at her…," a twinge of old jealousy came back, "I'm just glad he's over it." He grinned at Sayid, happy that there was no longer an obstacle between him and Kate. The smile faded as soon as he saw Sayid begin to grind his knuckles on his leg. "What is WITH you?" Sayid caught Jack's eyes, and felt that overwhelming surge of defeat come over him once again. He had lost the battle, and though he was normally not one to share his feelings, he knew he could trust the doctor.

"Of all the people," he stated, "He had to choose her." Jack continued to stare at him, "Shannon." That same light that he had seen in the girl's eyes now flashed in the other man's. Jack sat back, slowly, never taking his eyes off of Sayid's.

"You like her," Jack said, his voice tinged with awe. Sayid looked down, shame coming over him.

"It's pathetic," he groused, "I feel as if I am a young boy with a crush. Not only that, but it is on a woman almost half my age, who used to stand for everything I hated about the world."

"No one can help who they fall for," Jack interrupted, suddenly feeling sorry about his happiness of Sawyer choosing Shannon over Kate, "You shouldn't look at this as a bad thing…" He stopped when Sayid stood up, clearly not done.

"And what's worse!" he ranted, shouting, pacing back and forth in the small clearing he and Jack sat in, "is that she's gone for the one man on this island whom I despise the most! Sawyer…" he snarled the name, baring his teeth and reminding Jack of an angry panther, "He's a leech. A leech that sucks off of people's emotions, off of their fear and off of their anger. I should have never tortured him, I should have never done hurt him that day-" his voice broke, and he stood with his arms hanging down at his sides, eyes saddened, suddenly looking like a little lost boy.

"If I had known karma would have come back to me in such a fashion…," he continued in a whisper, and Jack's heart lurched, "I would never have even touched him." He hung his head and squeezed his eyes defiantly, "All the pain he felt, all the anguish I made him feel, has now come back to me threefold, and it is absolutely _unbearable_."

Jack remained stationed at his spot on the ground, unable to move, his mind going off in so many different directions that he thought he would pass out. Sayid was jealous of Sawyer because Sawyer had obviously staked a claim on Shannon. Worse, he felt that the heartbreak he was feeling was a direct result of torturing Sawyer for the whereabouts of Shannon's asthma medication, something which Sawyer later admitted he didn't even have. It made Jack sick to see the usually strong and resilient man look as broken as he did now. Gathering his courage, he opened his mouth to say a word of comfort to his friend, but Sayid abruptly turned to him, eyes flashing.

"You will not say a word of this to anyone." It wasn't a question. Jack nodded. Like he's say no to a man who, right now, looked as stable as a ship in a storm. He found his voice.

"Are you coming tonight?" he asked quietly. Sayid was silent for a moment, looking off into the distance, then answered him.

"No."

_At the caves._

"…smartest, wiliest, coolest, craftiest, sneakiest, most devious sumbitch alive," Sawyer finished his long list of self-descriptive adjectives with his trademark grin, wallowing in the pool.

"Dumbest," Walt added. Sawyer looked over the top of his stolen sunglasses, giving the young boy a look.

"Craziest," Charlie muttered, "…for going up against a bleeding former soldier who specializes in torture, all over some silly blonde bint who cares more about nail polish than survival."

"Hey now," Sawyer drawled, "That's my date you're talking about. A little respect please." He paused,thinking, "I'd like to amend that list to add 'sexiest' as well." Walt snorted, "Oh, what are YOU laughing at, kid?"

"You're funny, Mr. Sawyer," the boy said, cracking a smile. Sawyer looked positively affronted.

"I am not funny," he said, attempting a sneer, "I am a mean, mean, mean man. One whom you should hold in the highest respect, because if I find out one day that that dog of yours has been in my stash, I'm coming after you with one of Locke's knives." The threat didn't go over as well as he would have liked, because Walt giggled some more and climbed out of the pool, playfully splashing water at Sawyer as he did so. The Southern man was too engrossed in his own genius to properly respond to the attack, and ended up getting a face full of water. Sputtering, he reached over to grab Walt, who danced out of his reach, then ran for the safety of his father on the other side of the caves. Sawyer leaned back in the pool, a disgruntled look on his face. He glanced up when he heard a snickering. Charlie was hiding his mouth in his hand, but it was fairly obvious to Sawyer that he was hiding a huge smile.

"Oh, shut up, midget," he tried the sneer again, but gave it up after Charlie just shook his head.

"He likes you, brother," Charlie nodded his head at Walt, who was excitedly recounting his second harrowing attack on Sawyer in a day to a less-than-thrilled Michael. Sawyer scoffed.

"Don't reckon Daddy'll be askin' me to babysit anytime soon," he noted dryly, and dunked his hair back in the pool, "Jesus above, when is this heat gonna let up?"

"So, what do you think will happen tonight? At Hurley's little party?" Charlie asked, looking around at the other castaways, most of them still taking refuge in the shade from the sun. Sawyer scrubbed dirt off his fingernails, then took off his sunglasses.

"Well, my friend, you and I are engaging in the fine art of raising hell," he frowned when the speck refused to come off, "if there's one person I can stand on this island besides you, Kate, and the Aussie, it's the Princess. And it's come to my attention of late that the Sultan does, indeed, carry a bright blooming torch for her. Now, as much as I hate his guts for stringing me to a tree and engaging in a little after-hours torture instead of fighting me like a man should, I can tell that he'd treat Miss America right."

"You're such a good Samaritan," Charlie commented sarcastically. Sawyer ignored him, and went on.

"Now, I also have observed that my social standing on this island is less than perfect. Therefore, by showing what a true gentleman I am and bringing Aladdin and Jasmine together, I figure people will stop blaming me for every little damn thing that goes wrong," He flashed his Chesire Cat smile at Charlie, "Power on this dirt heap is what I'm after my friend, and I'm sick of St. Jack lording it over me that more people run crying to him than to me. Especially her Holiness Kate." Charlie leaned his chin on his knuckles.

"So…by pretending to go after a girl who is liked by another man whom you actually hate in order to impress another girl whom you actually really like in order to also piss off another man you hate by going on a double date with two other people whom I don't even know if you like or hate," he stopped, confused, "You're going to make people like you?" Charlie shook his head, "Bugger me."

"I'd say that's the jist of it, yeah," Sawyer gleefully replied. Charlie still wasn't convinced.

"Whatever happened to 'Big Bad Sawyer' who didn't give a rat's ass what others thought about him?" he demanded, "I refuse to accept this new bloke that you've turned into."

"Times are a-changin'," Sawyer slipped the sunglasses back on, "You've got to learn to adjust to the climate around you."

"You sound like Locke," Charlie said, kicking a pebble toward the older man. Sawyer just relaxed back into the pool.

"I'll take comparisons to him over God's Friggin' Gift to Humanity any day."

_At the beach_

Hurley trudged over to Shannon's tent, where she and Claire were in the middle of discussing skin tones and what shades of rouge to use.

"Hey, girls, sorry to interrupt," he looked apologetic, "But I figure that since you two are chicks, you'd know about this stuff better than I would." They smiled, and encouraged him to go on, "Okay, we're all set with the wood, and the food, and the music, but I don't know, some of the others want to put flowers on places. Would that look too girly? Or what?"

"Hibiscus flowers," Shannon said immediately, "Big white ones. Find as many as possible, and put them on the ground EVERYWHERE." She sighed, "So romantic." Hurley felt his masculinity threatened and balked.

"Come on, Shan, there's going to be guys there too. Guys that aren't comfortable sitting ass-deep in flowers." The Princess just shook her head. Claire tried a different approach.

"Maybe if you just added some in as decorative touches," she suggested helpfully, that ever-present cheerful smile on her face, "Not many, a few here and there, just to make it a little pretty." Hurley shook his head, liking the idea.

"Cool, cool. Oh, and did you hear the news? Locke and Boone caught a boar for tonight," he stopped, and snickered, "Actually, Boone accidentally fell on it, and Locke just grabbed it right after." The girls laughed.

"Sounds like my brother," Shannon said, picking up her mascara and inspecting it carefully, "Idiot. You should have seen him trying to hunt today; it was the funniest thing I've ever watched. Sawyer and Charlie and I just made fun of him the whole time."

"Aren't you guys The Three Musketeers," Hurley teased, "Okay, I gotta get going. Thanks guys. It'll be in a few hours," he pointed at the sun, which was considerable lower in the sky, "And it'll have cooled off a little by then. Which, is awesome, because I've been walking into the ocean every five minutes, and I think Jin is mad at me for scaring all the fish away." He turned to walk away, then looked back.

"Hey, you're still going with Sawyer, right Shannon?" The question was innocent, but it was evident he remembered the events that had occurred earlier. Shannon bit her lip.

"Yeah, I am." Hurley laughed.

"Wearing something cool?" He asked. Shannon waggled her eyebrows in response. The heavyset man nodded.

"Dude, I hope so. Sayid's gonna flip."

End Chapter Six.

Author's notes: After various exclamations of love, professions of loyalty, and even a few death threats sent via email (seriously people, death threats?) I give to you Chapter Six. Sorry it took so long to get out, my lovelies, but I've had art homework for my Design 101 class at college, and it has been a doozy to finish on time. Also, my computer went on strike, and refused to work, no matter how many times I beat the screen, wailing like a baby. Bastard. Wait, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to call you a bastard, don't short out on me! (pouty grin)

I've been going around Lost boards, and I saw this fic recommended by a couple of people, to which I say, "You are fabulous." Seriously, the face, she is blushing. I am not worthy of your love. And to the person who emailed me and asked me why I didn't post on the Lost forum board on Lost Media, it's because the damn thing won't let me sign on. Grrrr. I'm usually at the TWoP Lost board, though, under a different alias. Cause I'm sneaky like that. But yeah, if you want to put "Hot Child" up on a fanfic site, just tell me, and I'll be more than happy to oblige.

Poor Boone. I kid because I love.

Read and Review, hos. So I can feel all compelled to write faster. Ending won't be for another couple of chapters. 


	7. In an Awkward Situation

Title: Hot Child

Author: Lazuli

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Lost is owned by that glorious bastard, J.J. Abrams. Love you, sugarplum.

Summary: A mercilessly hot day on the island inspires Shannon Rutherford to "take a day off". Swims, laziness, and hanging around the men of the island seem like a perfect way to pass the time. More importantly, she wants to know why Sayid has been avoiding her…

(blows whistle, and breaks bottle of champagne on S.S. Shayid) Congratulations, folks. Our ship has officially set sail. Here's hoping those two crazy kids work it out.

Chapter 7

"…In an Awkward Situation"

"…I'm like, not even worried about mascara, so we can leave it behind….Actually, on second thought, I'll take it just in case. Also, bring that smoky eyeshadow and the glitter. No, glitter's for fifteen year olds. Grab the red lipstick, it'll look so awesome with the black. UGH!" Shannon threw her makeup onto the blanket, frustrated, "I give up."

Claire raised her eyebrow, but patiently collected everything that Shannon had thrown onto the blanket, and put it back into the small mesh carryon case that they'd selected to hold their belongings for that night. Being no stranger to her fits every half hour about her wardrobe, Shannon realized that Claire would rather stick the stormy weather out, than let the girl clomp around the beach and yell at everyone in sight.

Shannon, on the other hand, couldn't keep her emotions in check. While she appreciated the down-to-earth persona that Claire gave off, her thoughts spiraled off and she couldn't concentrate on what her friend was saying. Makeup tips swirled and mixed with thoughts of flirting techniques from old magazines, and sideswiped thoughts of dark eyes searing into hers, blended with the thrill of the brush of his hand and the outline of his muscles against that damn white tank that he loved so much, especially when it was wet…

"GAH!" She shrieked, and buried her head under her towel, "Why can't I just STOP THINKING ABOUT HIM?"

Her outburst surprised Claire, who accidentally dropped the mesh bag on the ground.

"Er," she said, cautiously, putting a hand on Shannon's back, "Are you alright?" Shannon didn't move.

"He's so not my type, Claire," she wailed, her voice muffled in the towel, "I'm so used to dating Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, and now I'm with…." She picked her head up, and looked at Claire frantically, "I don't even know!" Claire was amused.

"You really did just compare the men you've dated with fashion brands, didn't you?" she laughed, her eyes dancing. Shannon glared at her, then looked down at the ground, an expression of dejection coming over her face.

"He's just different," she said softly, and let her fingers intertwine with the strings of the black bikini, trying not to think about how it suddenly reminded her of how much she'd like to bury her fingers into his dark hair. She pulled and tugged the strings, spilling her outfit from the bag, and attempted to push the image of her dragging his head towards hers, arching his neck back as she leaned down and felt her hot breath combine with his-

"SHANNON!" Claire bellowed, "What the BLOODY hell are you doing!" Shannon looked up and saw Claire staring at her with a shocked expression on her face. She looked down and realized that she was five seconds away from planting a kiss on her black bikini.

Embarrassment flooded her face, and she timidly smiled at Claire, who still looked wary.

"Come on," she said, finally, and helped Claire to her feet, "We have to get back to the caves and start primping," Shannon turned and looked at the setting sun.

Soon.

_At the caves._

Sawyer and Charlie looked up as Shannon and Claire emerged from the trees. Shannon was silent, clutching a mesh bag to her chest, and Claire was sending her strange glances.

"Don't you ladies know," Sawyer put down the flight manual he was perusing, "That it's bad luck to see the grooms before the wedding?" Shannon didn't even look at him, just walked right past into the recesses of her favorite cave. Baffled, Sawyer turned to her companion, who sighed.

"She's nervous," Claire explained helpfully, "I think she's worked herself up so much for tonight, that she's starting to freak." Charlie stood up and joined them.

"Do you think I should go talk to her?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck, a worried look crossing his features, "I feel kind of bad, it's kind of our fault that she's stuck in this mess…" Sawyer rounded on him.

"Our fault? OUR fault?" He jabbed a finger in the direction Shannon had walked, "Sticks is the one who decided to make the nice-nice with Sayid, and if she can't handle the fact that she's gotta live up to it, then that's her problem." Claire turned her attention to him.

"Why are you so invested in this?" she asked, suspicious. Over her shoulder, Charlie's eyes grew wide, recalling their last conversation. Sawyer glanced at him warningly, then looked back at Claire, turning on the patented "good old boy" charm.

"Just doing my part to keep things running smooth 'round here," he slipped into the smooth, Southern drawl that infuriated everyone so much. Claire wasn't fooled, but decided to let it go. Fighting with Sawyer got you nowhere, and left you even more perplexed and pissed off than when you started. Charlie bit his lip and turned to her, letting that adorable little-boy smile wash over him.

"So…." He looked down at Claire's full stomach, then back up at her, "You and Shan getting ready?" She smiled back at him; his excited attitude was contagious. She rubbed her belly in a circular motion, not sure if she was trying to calm the baby's nerves, or hers.

"We've picked out a couple things," she responded, "but I should really go and help Shannon for tonight." Sawyer butted in.

"Remember, darlin', easy and uncomplicated," she rolled her eyes, "What? Hey, if I'm going to show up to Hurley's shindig with the Princess, she better damn well look like one," he let his eyes become unfocused, deliriously happy with evil thoughts, "I don't know whose expression I want to see more, Sayid's, Jack's, or Kate's." Claire was about to smack him, when Charlie gasped. They turned to look at him.

"You might not get a chance, mate," he said, and pointed at Shannon's cave.

The cave which Sayid had just entered.

_At the beach._

"Just put them up against the trees!" Hurley yelled, exasperated, "Not…not there. There! Dude, unless you want to get somebody flattened in the middle of dinner, you'd better move that somewhere else." Mark, a fellow survivor whom Hurley had taken on as his own personal assistant for tonight's festivities, grunted angrily and heaved the piece of metal fuselage that was doing double duty as a wall against the sand.

"It was fine where it was!" He shouted back, wiping the sweat away from his forehead with the bottom of his shirt. Hurley just stared at him.

"Bro, if you mess this one up, and someone dies," he tried out his best 'Sayid' glare, "I'm feeding you to Locke." Mark gulped, and hastily moved the metal piece to where Hurley had earlier indicated. He then trotted back to an amazed Hurley, who vowed to store that look in the back of his mind for later use.

"Rose and some of the women are back from collecting flowers," he said, "They're almost done with the decorations, but that kid's dog keeps eating the big white ones." Hurley panicked, and hustled off in search of Walt, leaving the other confused man behind.

He found Walt sitting on the beach, staring absentmindedly into the sunset. Vincent was curled up next to him, happily chewing away on one of Shannon's preferred flowers. Hurley stopped to catch his breath, and then rubbed Walt affectionately on the top of his head.

"Hey, little dude," he said, "You gotta tell your dog to stop eating all the hibiscus flowers, or Shannon will go nuts. We need those for tonight." Walt didn't say anything, just nodded and looked back out onto the beach. Hurley felt awkward.

"So I'm going to see you there, right?" he asked the young boy. Walt made a noncommittal sound, but didn't respond. Hurley pressed further.

"Because, if you were gonna show up, I was thinking," he pretended to muse for a second, "Well, every luau needs a head chief." The boy's head snapped up, and turned to look at Hurley. The older man smiled.

"What do you say?" Walt looked excited, and nodded his head in approval. Hurley lugged him to his feet.

"Excellent!" he crowed, "Go find Rose and tell her what I said. She'll figure something out." Walt scampered off, overjoyed at his newfound responsibility, with the loyal Vincent in hot pursuit. Hurley felt pleased with himself, then turned and started walking towards the grove. On his way, he passed Jack and Kate, who warmly said hello.

"He's been everywhere today," Kate commented, hefting her backpack onto the other shoulder, "Everytime I see him, he's chasing down somebody with branches, or yelling at people to get more firewood for the fire…" Jack laughed.

"We need more people like him here," he said, ducking his head to avoid a low palm frond, "It keeps morale up, gives everyone something to do and something to focus on. I like the ideas he brings." He sighed, suddenly looking dejected. Kate was concerned.

"What's wrong," she asked gently. Jack just shrugged, not meeting her eyes.

"I don't know, I guess…I guess in a way, I'm kind of jealous," he confessed, "Hurley's got this great attitude towards life, and here I am, brooding, always worrying about every little thing, staying awake at night to make sure someone's feeling alright, or whether or not their cough has a trace of fluid in it, or how I should ration out the rest of the painkillers…" he caught himself, "See? I'm doing it right now. I feel like the parent. The dad that everyone likes, but there's that line that no one wants to cross."

Kate closed her eyes, and allowed her mouth to curve into a small smile, "But Jack, don't you see? Having people rely on you isn't a bad thing. You give them hope."

"Sometimes I think hope isn't enough," he responded, "I keep wanting to give them something more, something more tangible, but it's just so damn hard…" he looked again at the direction Hurley had taken, "That's why I admire him so much. Because he keeps me hopeful. I admire everyone on this island because there's something in all of us that shoots out to me." Kate opened her eyes, and gave him a skeptical, albeit playful, peek.

"Even Sawyer?" she teased. Jack laughed out loud.

"Even…with all his backstabbing Southern prickness," he answered, "There are some bits of Sawyer that I admire." He gave her a face, "Just never tell him I said that." Kate put a finger to her mouth.

"My lips are sealed," she announced solemnly. He nodded, and the two of them continued walking.

"Though," Jack said, "My opinion of Sawyer has been slowly dropping downwards, especially with this whole Sayid and Shannon business." Kate stopped, confused.

"What Sayid and Shannon business?" her voice raised slightly.

"You didn't hear?" Jack looked surprised, "Sawyer's taking Shannon to Hurley's luau tonight. Kind of like a date, or something?" At this statement, Kate couldn't keep it in check.

"Sawyer and SHANNON?" she exclaimed, "Jack, you've got to be kidding me, that's impossible." Jack shook his head.

"Got it straight from Sayid, who is pissed as all hell," he responded, and looked at her, curious, "Did you know that he has a crush on Shannon?" Kate rolled her eyes. Moron.

"Jack, everyone knows Sayid has a crush on Shannon." Jack looked taken aback.

"I didn't!" he cried out, "Why doesn't anyone fill me in on this stuff?" Kate giggled, and increased her pace. Jack was miffed.

"Well, he told me he's not going tonight, and I think one of us should talk to him." Kate shook her head.

"Let him deal with this by himself," she countered, "trust me, this is something you _definitely_ can't help out." Jack shook his head, and swore under his breath.

"The world's against me," he muttered, and followed after the laughing brunette.

End Chapter Seven

Author's Notes: (stumbles drunkenly around room) Yesh! They…oh man…DUDE! I love you. No, I LOVE YOU. So great. Sooooooo great. With the kissing and the (sniff) aw, man. L'amour. We're shipping a real couple, and it's fabulous!

Don't mind me, I've been drunk since 9 last night. What with the kissing and the stares and the Sark.

Also, John Locke: Island Matchmaker. Who knew?

I know you all squealed. Don't lie to me. Short chapter, but I had to get it out somehow, because I'm SO FREAKING EXCITED to finish this story. I'd say there's about three or four more chapters left, so enjoy now, folks. Thanks again for all those great reviews, and keep them coming!


	8. Alone at Last

Title: Hot Child

Author: Lazuli

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Lost is owned by that glorious bastard, J.J. Abrams. Love you, sugarplum.

Summary: A mercilessly hot day on the island inspires Shannon Rutherford to "take a day off". Swims, laziness, and hanging around the men of the island seem like a perfect way to pass the time. More importantly, she wants to know why Sayid has been avoiding her…

Chapter 8

"…Alone at Last"

She leaned her forehead against the rocks, absorbing their natural coolness. The surface, while hard to the touch, provided her with enough stability so that she wouldn't fall over into a dead heap. It was nice to get out of the heat, somewhere she could relatively be alone for awhile. A place where she could collect her thoughts, channel her emotions, try out that Zen crap that Locke had seemingly mastered. Anything to stop her stomach from it's constant, never-ending flip-flopping, and the dizzying whirlwind that she currently referred to as "her mind".

No. She could feel the panic rising in her. Breathe in and out. Jack had made it a point afterwards to tell others not to let her engage in strenuous activity. While it was a nice gesture, and one befitting of a doctor, it had only encouraged everyone's perception of her as someone weak, someone helpless. A title that she did not care for at all.

If there was one thing that Shannon Rutherford was not, it was weak.

She gulped down some air, then reached with trembling fingers to unscrew her water bottle. Drinking deeply, she felt herself calm down with every sip she swallowed, until she could look around the small cave without being subject to dizzying spots and that unbearable feeling of tightness in her chest. The cave was dry, shady, and provided several nice cubbyholes to put things. She bit her tongue softly, letting her senses absorb her surroundings. If Shannon wasn't happy with her current shelter on the beach, then she would totally pick up everything and move here.

Actually, that wasn't such a bad idea. Charlie and Claire called the caves, "home", and she'd be out of that horrible sun. If she ever needed medical assistance, Jack and Sun were nearby, and everyone seemed a lot less frenetic than they did at the beach. Hell, any place that got her away from the accusing eyes of her step-brother would do good. If the caves didn't work out, she had half a mind to go bunk with the polar bear.

Shannon giggled, then quieted. She already knew that no matter how good she made this place out to be, she could never leave the beach. Though she and Boone fought constantly, she couldn't deny that she felt somewhat comforted by his presence. Plus, her blossoming friendship with Sawyer was a much-needed relief; as infuriating as the charismatic Southerner was, he was a lot like her. Shannon liked his company. If only she could convince Charlie to move down to the beach, life on the island would be a hell of a lot better. But Charlie would never be happy with her and Sawyer, and would forever be running back to the caves to check on Claire.

There was another reason she would never leave the beach. Because he lived there.

Shannon had never thought that she could be extremely excited, yet seriously dreading one evening. Her fingers skimmed over the mesh bag containing her outfit and makeup. _This is such a bad idea. _Maybe Boone was right. Maybe she would never change, always be manipulative and sneaky with men, using others to get what she wanted. But in this case, the others…wanted to be involved. Charlie, Claire, Sawyer…they WANTED to be included in this screwed-up version of "The Dating Game". It was like a dance, her and him. They circled each other, always following routine, a safe pattern, not wanting to fall out of line. The smiling, the flirting, the touching, the agonizing burn of his eyes….all steps. Just once, Shannon wanted to tear down the obstacle in front of them, rip it to shreds, and pour herself onto his body. What a sight they would make, a tangle of limbs and skin, her light and his dark. Would he be gentle, patient, and slow? Or would their obsession erupt in an intense culmination of passion, rough and fast, not caring if it hurts, just wanting to connect, wanting to feel each other. Wanting to taste-

"Shannon."

She spun around.

He stood at the entrance to the cave, one hand on the wall that she had sought refuge from the blinding heat. Shannon felt her breath stop momentarily, then willed herself to calm down.

"Hi," she managed to get out, reaching for any semblance for normalcy she could find. Her fingers found her water bottle, and she again took a deep gulp, pacifying the delighted screaming in her head. Sayid was blocking out the setting sun, which caused his shadow to be thrown into the small cave, enveloping her in darkness. _How freaking symbolic._

"I'm sorry to bother you," God, his voice was beautiful. The lilting accent, the way he stumbled over certain words. It sent a telltale shiver down her spine, a motion that she knew he couldn't miss.

"Oh, it's okay, I wasn't doing anything important." She reassured him, dragging her wet tongue across her dry lips. His own parted at the sight. The dance had begun.

"I assume," he continued, stepping down from the entrance, and came closer to her, "that you are getting ready for tonight." The cautious step. The safe movement of a waltz.

Shannon nodded, "Claire and I kind of went a little crazy down at the beach. Well, I went crazy. She just watched and shook her head a lot," he let a small chuckle slip past his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"So," she continued, allowing herself another dance step, "you ARE going, right?" He didn't answer, just reached down and picked up the water bottle she had placed at her feet. Looking at her, Sayid tilted it, asking her permission to take a sip.

"Go ahead," Shannon said. He muttered an almost inaudible thanks, and placed the bottle at his lips, taking a swig. A place where her own lips had rested a minute before. The mere idea almost set off an explosion in her mind.

_Dig if you will, the picture, of you and I engaged in a kiss._

Goddamn Prince.

"What is in the bag?" he asked innocently, handing the bottle back to her. She noticed that he was careful to avoid touching her fingers. It was a movement she wasn't prepared for.

"Some stuff I was going to wear tonight," she shrugged, turning her back to retrieve the bag, "Clothes…some makeup, girl stuff." She allowed her eyes to drift up to meet his, "Want to see?" He shook his head.

"Those are meant for Sawyer," he muttered, more to himself than to her, as if he was stating a reminder more than a fact. Shannon fought the impulse to let her lips curve into a smile. Sawyer was right. He was jealous. Incredibly jealous. She had been around enough men in her life to recognize the signs and the destructive nature of jealousy. It could, it would, eat at your heart, gnaw at every aspect of your soul until you became a possessive and envious monster.

"Did you hear what he said to me?" her voice was on the verge of shaking, she tried to play it off as laughter instead of the nervousness it really was, "He told me to 'wear something short and easy to take off'," she rolled her eyes, "What a jerk."

"Are you?" he asked suddenly, looking like he wanted nothing more than to snatch the bag she held in her hands. She felt the butterflies in her stomach. Their gentle dance was transforming from a soft waltz to a sensual tango. Shannon parried with a dangerous move of her own.

"That'd be telling," she responded demurely. Goddamnit, why were her lips dry every five seconds? She'd have to ask Sawyer if he had managed to horde some Chapstick.

His eyes were merciless. She knew he had tortured Sawyer for her asthma medicine, that he had been an interrogator for the Republican Guard in Iraq. This man had stared down Death. How many lives had ended at his hands? How many had screamed themselves hoarse, begging him for pity, for compassion. And being a soldier, she knew that he would not relent until they gave him what they wanted. Sawyer still massaged his fingernails once in awhile, and she had seen him stare viciously at Sayid while doing so. She suddenly found it frightening that while the man before her was a deliverer of pain and anguish, she wanted nothing more than to let those once-bloodied and dangerous hands passionately roam and explore her body. The thought was scary, but thrilling.

"I wish you would not go," he whispered, "I wish you would not go with him," Shannon couldn't even pretend to be flirty anymore. She felt like she was drowning in his eyes. He reached up and slowly dragged a piece of blonde hair across her bare shoulder. The butterflies had turned into bats. She felt the sexy tango music in her head suddenly switch to an intense and passionate _bolero. _Never in her entire existence had she ever wanted someone so badly. It was like he systematically stripped and peeled every wall she carefully constructed around herself. It was a triumph that no one, not even Boone, could claim.

She wondered what he would do if she kissed him.

"Sayid," she let the word hang in the air between them. His finger was twirling her blonde hair, tantalizingly brushing her neck. She knew it wasn't a nervous habit, he had played with her hair before, laughing and telling her that it reminded her of sunlight. That Sayid was friendly, and open, and kind, a man that was easy to understand. Now, he was slow, and he was deliberate, and he was mysterious, and every action he performed was excruciating for her to bear. She had never seen this side of him before.

He let his finger slowly touch her neck, and she stifled a gasp. He looked deeply into her eyes, and she knew. He wasn't mad at her.

He was _seducing_ her.

And she wanted him to.

"Please," she couldn't hide the word, it slipped out. His dark eyes, which were deep with emotion before, now burned with a scorching fire. The fire she had been so afraid to touch, but presently, wanted nothing more than to throw herself in. The _bolero_ was consuming, and she felt her lips tilt up towards his, her eyes closing, waiting for that final note to play so that she could end this foolish dance once and for all…

"SHANNON!"

"Jesus CHRIST!" Shannon shrieked, grabbed her bag, and ran out of the cave at full speed, leaving a heaving and confused Sayid behind.

_Outside_

"SHUT UP!" Claire yelled hysterically at Boone, throwing an old shoe at his back. It caught him right in the middle, and he doubled over in pain, before turning around and glaring at her.

"What the hell are you doing?" He shouted, rubbing where she had hit him, "Son of a bitch, Claire, that hurt!" Claire tried in vain to struggle to her feet, but Charlie beat her to it.

"Shannon's…er, a little busy," he explained, "She's running around trying to get her things together, and we didn't want to disturb her," he turned and stared helplessly at Claire. She was still immersed in glaring at Boone.

"Arse," she mumbled venomously. Boone still looked confused, but was distracted from following it up when his sister ran out of a cave, her face red, looking as if she'd run a marathon.

"What?" she demanded clearly annoyed. Boone rounded on her.

"Why the hell is everyone saying that you're going to Hurley's luau with Sawyer?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. Shannon slung her bag up higher on her shoulder.

"He's my friend," she said defensively, "He asked me, and I said yes. It's not like he's my new boy toy or something." Boone stepped closer.

"I really don't like the thought of him with you," he told her, crossing his arms, "Dammit, Shannon, he's a liar and a cheat. He lied about having your medicine, even after Sayid tortured him about it." Boone suddenly looked over her shoulder at something. Shannon turned, and saw that Sayid had just emerged from the cave where they had just been talking.

"At last," Sayid said, putting his hands in his pockets and walking over to the blonde and her brother, "Boone and I have found something we agree on." Boone stared at him for a second, as if he couldn't believe that Sayid had just sided with him on a topic, especially one that involved Shannon.

"You were right when you called him a liar," Sayid calmly stated, "And I believe that his intentions towards Shannon are not honorable." Shannon gaped wordlessly, not trusting her own ears. She was used to Sayid not trusting Sawyer, but taking the same stance as Boone? It would have been funny if it weren't so damn tragic. Boone rotated back towards her.

"You see," he stated triumphantly, "Even Sayid thinks it's a bad idea. Shannon, if you do this, and he hurts you in some way, don't you dare come crying to me." Boone bit his lip, and moved closer.

"Can't you just tell him 'No'?" his voice had a pleading tone to it. Shannon instantly felt a wave of guilt wash over her. No matter how irritating Boone could get, she knew that he wanted the best for her. That's why it was so hard to do this. However, before she could get a word out, Sawyer stepped out from the jungle, and sauntered over to them.

"Hey now," he held up his hands in a mock gesture of surrender, "I can tell a nasty situation when I see one." Sawyer pointed a finger at Sayid and Boone, "These two bothering you, darlin'?" Shannon looked at her brother, who was too busy glaring furiously at Sawyer. She turned her attention to Sayid, who acted like the other man hadn't even said anything. He serenely looked back at her.

"Hey," Sawyer addressed Sayid, "Heard an interesting tidbit of information from Kate about you." He switched his backpack from one shoulder to the next. Sayid finally pivoted.

"About what?" he asked, his voice low and somewhat deadened.

"She seems to be under the impression," Sawyer raised his voice a little, "that you ain't up to providing us with the pleasure of your company tonight." Shannon's eyes widened.

"Is that true?" She asked shakily. This wasn't fun anymore. This was real and it was hurting people. Sayid was silent for a few moments, then reached down and picked up the bag he had left at the entrance, fully aware that all the eyes of the small group were on him. He straightened, heaved the back over his shoulder, and glanced at Sawyer.

"She was misinformed," he stated calmly, and walked out into the jungle. Boone glared at her, and then took off in the opposite direction. The four remaining survivors didn't speak for a second, until Claire let out a whoosh of breath she'd been holding.

"Wow," she said. Shannon slumped on the ground.

"This is getting ridiculous," she stated. Sawyer ran his hand through his hair, the smile on his face completely gone, replaced by a look of seriousness.

"What'd you do to make yourself such a hot commodity, Sticks?" he complained, and set his load on the ground. Charlie walked over to Shannon.

"Need anything?" he asked softly. Shannon shook her head.

"Other than being catapulted off this island and into a land where the word 'Man' doesn't exist?" she let her bitchiness shine through, but stopped herself, "I'm okay, Charlie." He patted her on the back, about to say something else, when Kate and Sun walked through the brush, and stopped.

"What are you guys waiting for?" Kate asked impatiently, "The luau just started, and everybody's headed down to the beach." Sawyer stretched his arms above his head.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, Freckles," he smirked, "I'll show up soon." Kate stared at him in disgust, then continued with Sun down the grass. Shannon bolted to her feet, then ran over and dragged up Claire. She turned to Sawyer and Charlie.

"Give us a half hour," she promised. Sawyer shook his head.

"Take your time," he drawled, "This is a moment that I want to savor."

_At the beach_

The survivors milled around, talking and laughing, picking up pieces of fruit off the makeshift table, and enjoying the sounds of the guitars that filled the air. The Spanish woman and her husband had made good on their promise, and proved to be adept musicians.

"Man, if I didn't know any better," Jack commented to Michael, "I'd swear we were in Cancun on Spring Break." Michael arched an eyebrow, giving Jack a disbelieving look.

"You went on Spring Break?" he asked skeptically. Jack was insulted.

"Of course I did!" he exclaimed, "Junior year of medical school. One of the best weeks of my life." Michael still didn't buy it.

"Somehow, I can't picture you knocking back tequila shooters off of senoritas," he responded. Walt scurried up behind them.

"What's that mean?" he asked naively. Michael looked panicked for a second, but was saved by Hurley's intervention.

"All right, everybody," He yelled. The beach quieted down, and the survivors focused their attention on Hurley. He looked nervous for a second, but swallowed his fear and continued.

"Now, I know these past two months have sucked hardcore, and we all hate this island," a couple of people shouted their agreements, "But still, that's no reason to be depressed about it. I mean, we're all good people…" his eyes traveled over Jack, Kate, Locke, and several others, "…and we all just need to stick together, and help each other. Because we're not going to be here forever, but while we are, we're going to at least be cool about it." A few, "hear, hears!" could be heard. Hurley grinned.

"Cause even though this situation blows," he continued, "I really can't think of other people I'd rather be stuck on an island with," he paused, "Well, we could use a lot more girls." Kate threw a banana peel at him to the sounds of laughter, "I'm kidding!"

"I'm inclined to agree with you," Michael said out loud. Hurley saluted him.

"So anyways, that said, I'm officially declaring the start of the first ever Island Luau!" he announced, "And if I could have everybody else join me, I'd like to welcome our guest Luau chief for the night," Hurley turned, "Walter Lloyd!"

The applause was deafening, as the young boy sheepishly made his way to the front of the crowd with his dog. Hurley clapped along with the rest of them, then planted a makeshift crown of leaves on his head. "Sun made it," he explained, "So Walt, as Luau chief for the night, what is your first order of business? I'd say drinks, but Jack would probably behead me." Jack nodded, clearly in good spirits. Walt looked at the huge boar that Locke was tenderly roasting.

"FOOD!" he yelled out, and the hungry audience showed their approval. Hurley directed Walt to the main makeshift table, seating himself on one side and Michael on the other, as Rose and others passed out various fruits and other island "delicacies". Locke gave the spit one last twist, then settled himself down next to Jin and Boone to enjoy the feast. Soon, the air was filled with chatter and munching.

Hurley surveyed the area with a happy smile on his face. This was exactly what he had wanted. All the survivors were getting to know each other, and establishing friendships that would help ease the pain of being lost. Though there were a few saddened smiles here and there, most were enchanted by the evening, coupled with the beauty of the night, the blaze of the torches, and with Vincent joyously sniffing out food from one group to another, greedily eating the scraps they all discreetly tried to feed him.

One face, however, stood out among the rest. Hurley was still well aware of what had happened to Sayid, and he felt bad for the man. Sitting between Jack and Kate, across from Michael, he was somewhat comforted by the fact that the other three were slowly trying to coax a happy mood out of the obviously depressed man. Not to mention the fact that there were four faces still noticeable absent from the festivities. Hurley admitted to himself that he was quite anxious about what would happen once the missing four would show up, and he wondered how Sayid would respond to it.

"I gotta say," Michael commented, his voice slightly muffled with the fruit, "As much as I hate to admit it, this beats the stuff I used to get at the grocery in NYC by a long shot."

"I highly, highly, concur," Jack said, and bit into his piece of passion fruit, "And that boar isn't helping my situation any. Hey Locke," he leaned back to look at the group closest to them, "You planning on driving up crazy with the way that boar smells or what?" The older man lifted a hand.

"Gotta wait till she turns a little more pink," he yelled back. Jack turned to Kate.

"Vegetarian," he shook his head, "You're insane." She looked miffed.

"Oh, shut it, Shephard," she teased, and ruffled his hair. The others laughed, as Jack swatted her hand out of the way.

"So what else are we doing tonight?" Walt asked excitedly, "Can I show everyone how I can throw knives?" Michael coughed, and gave Walt a look of fatherly disapproval. Walt, in the manner of every ten-year old, studiously ignored him.

"Come on! Mr. Locke and Mr. Sayid can help me!" he continued. Hearing his name, Sayid looked up.

"And what makes you think I can throw knives as well as Mr. Locke can?" He asked, his gloomy features showing a hint of sunlight. Walt shrugged.

"Cause my dad said you were in the army. And army guys know how to do that kind of stuff." Sayid laughed, and shook his head.

"Indeed we do," he said, "If your father will not object, then I would be happy to assist."

"Um," Michael started to raise his voice, but was quieted by the pleasure on his son's face.

"Great!" Walt said, then stuffed another piece of fruit in his mouth. He chewed it fast, then swallowed and addressed Hurley again, "So what are we really doing next?" Hurley looked at Jack.

"So you're really serious about that 'No Alcohol' thing?" he asked in a teasing tone. Jack opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off.

"Now, what kind of a party would it be," a sardonic voice cut through them all, "If we didn't have the pure pleasure of liquor?" Everyone looked up. Jack and Kate followed the voice, then immediately looked at Sayid, who had visibly tensed at the sight before him.

Charlie, Claire, Sawyer, and Shannon had arrived.

End Chapter Eight.

Author's Noted: Sorry for the delay, kids. Here's something to hold you over while we agonizingly wait for those endless weeks of repeats to pass.

Make Mommy happy. Read and Review!


	9. Caught Between Them

Title: Hot Child

Author: Lazuli

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Lost is owned by that glorious bastard, J.J. Abrams. Love you, sugarplum.

Summary: A mercilessly hot day on the island inspires Shannon Rutherford to "take a day off". Swims, laziness, and hanging around the men of the island seem like a perfect way to pass the time. More importantly, she wants to know why Sayid has been avoiding her…

Chapter 9

"…Caught Between Them"

It was actually pretty funny, once she thought about it. At the core, it was your typical boy-meets-girl scenario, with a little of the clichéd opposites-attract-mistaken-love-jealous-of-the-other-boy thrown in for fun. Something out of a Nora Ephron movie that women would sit and giggle over, loving the absurdity, but secretly wishing that it might happen to them. That Jude Law or John Cusack would stumble across their path, full of witty remarks and playful banter and deep kisses and the bright neon flash in the girl's head going, "HE'S THE ONE!" That the whole movie would be about the joyful pursuit, no matter what obstacles stood in the way. Sultry secretaries, mischievous children, and screaming bosses were no match for the power of love.

And of course, it'd end with a kiss. A beautiful, touching, earth-shattering kiss set to a soundtrack of Mozart, or John Williams, or Sarah McLachlan. Anything to make her and her friends grab tissues and wail away at how friggin' cute life was, and how they'd give anything for a man like that. She smiled along, and nodded with the rest of them. How could she not? It was a storybook romance, with a fairytale ending. Everybody wanted one of those. And she was _kind of_ living one.

Except not.

Shannon's story was a little different. Sure, it was still the "boy-meets-girl" circumstances, but throw in a devastating plane crash, an island that had more secrets than the U.S. Government, attacking polar bears, crazy Frenchwomen, murderous Island strangers, a rumbling monster in the jungle, a group of survivors who couldn't be more different from each other, and oh yeah. Her step-brother with whom she'd done things they could get thrown in jail for.

With everything that had happened around them, Shannon thought it was a miracle that she'd had the time to even _think_ about a relationship. Who has time for love in the middle of the ocean on a deserted tropical island? Yet, no matter how much she tried to avoid it, it had crept up on her. Sayid and his beautiful smile, and his passionate eyes, and the way he made her feel when he laughed out loud and shook his head. She liked him so much that the mere thought of hurting him made her want to cry.

That's why she couldn't bear to meet his eyes now. But she had to do this.

The four of them, Sawyer, Claire, Charlie, and Shannon, stood on the outskirts of the beach, where the sand met the forest. The bright light of the bonfire illuminated their faces, casting their shadows onto the trees behind them. Before them lay the group of survivors, all paused, all eyes on them. It was a frozen tableau, and Shannon wished she had a camera.

"Too bad for you, Doc," Sawyer lifted a bottle of Jack Daniels into the air, "Guess I've got all the luck when it comes to sniffing out booze."

"Where'd you find that?" Jack's tone had an edge to it. After learning from Kate that Sawyer had a stash of small airline liquor bottles, he'd marched over to Sawyer's tent and hauled the other man into the woods. They'd been gone for almost a half hour, but when they came out, they looked exhausted and bloody. Sawyer had stalked off into the distance, while Jack quietly collected the small bottles and retreated to the caves, wiping his bloody lip. Everyone was so used to them fighting, no one had really given it a second thought. No one except Shannon.

Sawyer's eyes were mean. He tightened one hand on the bottle. The other held Shannon's.

"Doesn't matter," he chortled, "It's mine, and I'm only sharing it with the people I like. Well, two of them, anyways," he nodded his head at Claire, "Sorry, Mama, but I ain't that much of a bastard to let you have some." Claire smiled.

"You're too generous," she retorted. Charlie reached down and took her hand.

"Sorry we're late," he announced, "Girls took a bit of a time to get ready."

"And how," Sawyer agreed, and looked at Shannon. She was dressed in a black bikini, with a sheer black sarong tied low on her waist. Claire had pulled her hair into a rough updo, using a few bobby pins the girls had found in Shannon's tent, and Shannon had used generous amounts of eyeliner and red lipstick to give herself a sultry and smoky tone. Hey, if she was going to do this, she was going to do it right.

However, she didn't want to look like a total fool for being the only one to dress up, so she'd had a crack at Claire too, opting for pink shades to pull out the softer tones that motherhood had given the Australian. Then, to Claire's utter dismay, Shannon had stolen one of Locke's knives and cut a drastic neckline in one of Claire's favorite pink shirts. When Claire had protested, Shannon only needed to point out how Charlie's eyes would bug after seeing her cleavage. Claire had blushed like a schoolgirl, and immediately shut up. The result had its desired effect, and once Charlie stopped stammering about how great she looked, Claire mouthed a silent and excited "Thank you!" to her friend. In true fashion,after she emerged from the cave,Sawyer looked Shannon over, smirked, and took her hand.

At first, she was worried about what would happen once they appeared holding hands. Now, she was incredibly grateful for the support that he was sending her. Without him, Shannon probably would have run away. Just standing between Sawyer and Charlie was empowering her in ways that she never thought possible.

"So, where are we sittin'?" Sawyer took a swig from the bottle, "Or are we makin' this thing up as we go?" He passed the bottle to Shannon, who took a sip. Charlie took a generous gulp, and shook his head.

"Come on," he muttered, and the four made their way to the main 'table'. As they sat down, the chatter began to pick up again, and Shannon saw more than a few heads repeatedly turn and look at them.

"Something sure does smell wonderful," Claire tentatively said, appraising the situation. Jack and Kate looked furious, Hurley watched with rapt fascination, Michael, Sun, and Walt looked more than a little confused, and Boone, who had joined the group, looked more than a little enraged. Sayid was staring down at his plate, his fists clenched at his side.

Hurley coughed. Things would get out of hand unless he stepped up. "Yeah, that's thanks to Locke. He and Boone caught a boar, and we're about ready to carve it up. You guys want some fruit?" He passed a plate down to the newcomers, who dug in.

"Mmmm…" Charlie sucked at his fingers, trying to trap any wayward juices, "Crikey, that's delicious. Here you go, Shan." Shannon picked off some fruit with trembling fingers, which was not missed by the ever-perceptive Sawyer.

"Sticks, you look a little jolted," he said, and swung an arm around her shoulders. At the mention of Shannon's nickname, Sayid had lifted his head.

"Have some JD, it'll calm you right down." Tilting her head back, Sawyer pressed the bottle opening to her lips and poured the harsh liquor right into her mouth. No stranger to straight alcohol, Shannon took the swig like a true drinker, wiping her mouth afterwards.

"Sawyer!" she sputtered, "You jerk! Are you trying to kill me via alcohol poisoining?" Sawyer laughed, and the two others joined in. He winked at her discreetly. Shannon remembered his words as they trekked down the path: In order to make Sayid jealous, the four of them would have to show the luau that they were having, quite literally, a blast. She knew that she'd have fun with the others anyways, but keeping up appearances was proving to be somewhat difficult.

"So when did you four get to be such good pals?" Kate asked, her voice even, though her eyes betrayed the irritation she really felt. Charlie pretended to sit back and muse for a bit.

"Well, once upon a time," he started, ignoring the snorting and giggling of his friends, "it was REALLY bloody hot out."

"Terribly hot," Shannon piped.

"Burn the hair of a man's chest kind of hot," Sawyer drawled.

"…cook an egg off the side of a road hot," Charlie continued, telling the story as if he were relating an amazing adventure, "And there were three courageous heroes who decided to brave the consuming heat, and not flock off to the caves like a bunch of ninnies…"

"More like Sticks all but taped her lazy ass to the beach and refused to move," cracked Sawyer.

"Shut up," Shannon kicked his leg.

"…so instead, after a brief interlude of dunking the heroine repeatedly, the three heroes engaged in a rousing splash fight that tested strength, endurance, and how had the biggest bollocks when it came to bitch-slapping a grown man face first into the water…" Shannon raised her hand, and took another drink, "Yes, thank you, Shannon. Unfortunately, I've gained a rather nasty sunburn on my back that's turned into quite the bastard when I lean to the left…." He trailed off, and with lightning speed, smacked Claire's raised hand away, who squealed when he attempted to tickle her.

"I told you so," Jack reminded him, "Don't you remember this morning? And if you start whining about aloe, I'm not going to listen."

"I've got the boy covered, Jackass," Sawyer grinned at him, "Lent him some of my finest aloe this afternoon. That bitch oughta be gone in a day."

"…after the splashing, we foraged into the forest in search of the caves, for boredom had gripped our souls with an evil clamp. On our way, we encountered man, beast, and nancy boy alike," he waved to Boone.

"That's not funny," Boone growled. Sawyer's lip twitched, but he contained himself.

"We finally entered the caves, and after one of the heroes escaped to find out the welfare of the lovely Claire," Charlie paused to kiss Claire's hand, who acted like her heart was fluttering, "the other two roused the troops in yet another water battle, where Sawyer was beat down like the little bitch he was by a TEN YEAR OLD BOY." Walt jumped up and did a powwow dance. Sawyer glared at him.

"Don't think I ain't got something special planned for you, kid," he threatened. Walt immediately sat back down, hiding behind his father, who again, was not amused at Sawyer's attempt to threaten his son.

"…so Sawyer was beat down, blah blah blah, tossed and dunked, blah blah blah, threatened by Jack with a knife for being a pervert, which we all knew anyways, and had to be rescued by a woman. Pathetic," he shook his head, "Anyways, after the three heroes were reunited, they decided to join forces and learn how to hunt from a true master," Charlie stopped and a wide smile spread across his face, "A lesson that I truly will never forget."

Boone made a sound of disgust. Sawyer and Shannon busted out laughing. The others looked confused, but kept quiet.

"Oh, come on, Boone," Shannon took another drink, then tilted Sawyer's head back by grabbing his hair, "It was only a game." She poured the liquor down his throat, mimicking his earlier actions. He swallowed every drop, then shook his head and passed the bottle to Charlie.

"You're one dangerous mamacita," Sawyer gasped, and squeezed Shannon closer to him.

She still didn't look at Sayid.

Charlie took another swig, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve, "Jesus Sawyer, you've really been holding out on us," he took another small sip, then continued, "Where the hell was I…oh yeah…after that lovely demonstration of prowess and stealth from our resident Jungle Hunter apprentice, we spent the rest of the afternoon in each other's company, picking up this lovely bird on the way," he put his arm around Claire affectionately, who scoffed.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear the 'bird' part, and focus on the 'lovely' instead," she responded.

"So now you're all best buds," Michael commented, "Well, I can't say I saw it coming, but anything to get this moron off our backs is well appreciated," he motioned to Sawyer, "No offense."

"None taken," Sawyer replied pleasantly, and taking the bottle from Charlie, he tossed it to Michael. The other man stared at it for a second, before taking a sip and making a face.

"Thanks," he said, and tossed it back. Sawyer caught it, and offered some to Hurley, who took a small sip while discreetly trying to not look at Jack.

"There ya go, Hurley," Charlie cheered him on. Hurley was quiet for a second.

"Not bad," he finally said, and passed it to Boone, who, even though he looked pissed, took a gulp.

"Can I have some?" Walt asked excitedly, reaching out his hand.

"NO!" The adults shouted simultaneously. He scowled. "Fine. You didn't have to yell it."

"We need that for medical reasons," Jack said, his eyes on Sawyer. Sawyer rolled his eyes.

"One little taste for everyone," he argued, "Before it's sacrificed to your noble cause, King Arthur." He grabbed the bottle and looked at Sun.

"Any for you, gorgeous?" he leered at the Korean woman, who looked affronted, and shook her head. Kate followed her lead, before Sawyer could even say anything to her. He bit his lip, and turned to Jack.

"I know what you're going to say," he muttered, "Guess that leaves one more. What about you?" he gestured to Sayid. The Iraqi man's stare looked more deadly than a sharpened sword.

"No," his voice was clipped, but it clearly expressed thedistastehefelt for Sawyerunderneath.

"Boar's done!" Locke's chipper voice cut through the group. Hurley scrambled to his feet.

"Sweet!" he said, glad for any excuse to be away from the tension filled group, "I'll help!"

The night passed, and the beach was once again filled by the sound of the guitars. Charlie, delighted to have found other musicians on the island, instantly ran back to the caves for his guitar, and returned huffing and puffing to sit down for a jam session with the equally pleased Spanish couple. Soon, the soft Spanish twang was joined by the rocking sound of Charlie's eager guitar, and the survivors found themselves clapping along and cheering to the music. A few even started to shimmy and dance, when Walt proclaimed, as official Island Chiefs should do, that anyone who danced would be thrown into the ocean. Good-natured shouts followed this declaration, and Walt only ceded when Kate and Claire threatened to tickle him to death.

"What a night," Shannon breathed, looking out at the inky black ocean from her spot on the beach with Sawyer and Claire. The soft waves lapped onto the shore, the sounds lulling her into a calm and peaceful mood. The others had gone to a huge bonfire a little ways away, where attempts at dancing were well-underway. Next to her, Claire yawned and stretched her arms above her head.

"Can you pass me some of that fruit?" she asked Sawyer. The object of her inquiry didn't respond, so she rolled her eyes and plopped back down on the beach. Shannon propped herself up on her elbows and looked at her "date", who was preoccupied with looking at something else. She followed his gaze to where Jack and Kate stood with the other survivors, laughing as Locke attempted the foxtrot with an amused Rose, who swatted him every time he jokingly tried to step on her feet.

Shannon felt an instant pang of pity. She pulled herself to a sitting position next to Sawyer, whose face was tinged with more than a little hurt. Reaching out, she touched his shoulder. Startled, his pained eyes met her sympathetic ones.

"You're too good for her, anyways," she whispered. He dropped his gaze to the sand..

"No, I'm not," he angrily ground his teeth, "and that's the problem," he looked back at Kate, "You don't know her, Sticks. The stuff she's been through. She needs someone like the Doc in her life because he'll be good for her." He picked up a few wayward twigs and crushed them between his fingers.

"You're wrong," Shannon argued heatedly, "Sawyer, I used to think that you were the biggest jerk in the entire world. Now that I somewhat know you better, I think you're one of the coolest people I ever meet. You're sarcastic, you're strong, you've got my back, and," a tiny smile appeared, "You're a good friend." It was hard to not repress a grin at that. She reached out and took his hand.

"Maybe she does need someone like him," Shannon continued, "But she'll have to live the rest of her life knowing she passed up being with one of the greatest guys in the entire world, and it'll suck. Trust me."

At this small speech, Sawyer looked back at Shannon, "You know what, Sticks?" he asked, squeezing her hand.

"What?" she asked, curious. He broke out in a genuine smile.

"I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I'm sort of jealous of Sayid now," she giggled.

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Because," Sawyer continued, "He's about to get one of the damn near greatest girls on the planet." A genuine smile broke out when he finished, and Shannon squealed and launched herself at him, giving him a huge hug.

"Promise me we'll still be friends?" she pleaded. He laughed.

"That's a promise I aim to keep, darlin'," he answered, "Now, hows about we move onto the second stage of this little plan?" Shannon jumped to her feet, and pulled him up with her. Claire noticed them getting up.

"Where are you two going?" she asked, her eyes widening. They reached down and pulled her up beside them. Sawyer nodded to the dancers, and waggled his eyebrows. The girls looked at each other and snickered. No matter what happened, Sawyer would always be counted on to be a troublemaker.

"Ladies?" Sawyer gallantly offered them both an arm, and the threesome made their way to the bonfire. Reaching the outskirts of the group, Claire politely disentangled herself from Sawyer, and went to sit next to a beaming Charlie. He looked up and caught Sawyer's eye, who winked. Charlie smirked, and started a faster beat, invoking the Spanish couple's earlier Latin-flavored music. They took their cues from him, and followed along to the quick beat, strumming with grace and showing off their phenomenal talent. More people started shimmying to the beat, including Jack and Kate. Sayid, however, didn't move from his spot next to Boone and a clapping Sun. Sawyer scoped this all out with one quick glance, then turned to Shannon.

"Well, I'm never gonna let a lady stand by while there's dancin'," he proclaimed loudly, and led her to the front of the crowd, "Charlie! I want you to start strummin' like your handsare on fire!" Charlie whooped and picked up an even faster pace,while Sawyer whirled Shannon around him to hoots and hollers from the others. He twirled and dipped her, before bringing her back up, grabbing her hand, and leading her around the fire in a fast dance.

"Never figured you for a dancing man, Sawyer," Jack called out sarcastically, where he and Kate had stopped to watch the two more flamboyant dancers strut around.

"You kiddin'?" Sawyer yelled back, "Been drilled into me since I was a boy. If there's one thing we Southern men can do damn good, it's dancin'," he dipped Shannon again and winked lasciviously at her, "Well…that and other things." She blushed at the blatant sexual comment, and smacked him.

"Pervert," she yelled, and spun away from him. Helaughed and loped after her, picking her up in his arms and starting their dance all over again, pressing his body even closer to hers.

"Guess you'll have to find out for yourself later tonight," he responded loudly, grabbing her hips and shimmying them in rhythm with his. Shannon's heart skipped a beat, and she saw Sawyer's eyes move ever-so-slightly to his right, where she just knew Sayid was standing. She didn't dare look at him herself, so she watched Sawyer's reaction to see what he saw. It had been just what she'd thought it would be, because Sawyer's eyes darkened, and a hint of fear came over them. His smile wavered slightly, before he turned back to her and spun them to the other side of the fire.

"Holy shit, Sticks," was his muttered fast response to her questioning eyes, and he rocketed them over to Claire, who waited with bated breath for any news.

"Come on, Preggers, don't think I'll let you sit this one out, too," Sawyer teased, and whispered urgently to Shannon, "You go over there and stop him from killing me." He whisked a confused but joyous Claire out, careful of her pregnant stomach. Shannon stood to the side, catching her breath. Inside her mind, a vicious tug-of-war had started, her need to see Sayid and finally confront him with her feelings, versus the part of her that wanted to run into the jungle and hide among the trees so no one could find her. Maybe she'd get lucky and be eaten by the polar bear.

Shannon felt something nudge her ankle. She looked down to see Charlie, who simply mouthed the word, 'Go", and nodded his head enthusiastically. Pausing for a moment, she stared through the bonfire, where Sayid had left Boone's side, and was staring out into the ocean, separated from the others. She took a deep breath, straightened, her back, brushed the sand off of her hips, and started forward. Passing a jubilant Claire attempting to do the Macarena while a baffled Sawyer looked on, she made her way to the outskirts of the crowd, and walked the little ways to where an expressionless Sayid stood. She tried not to make a lot of noise while approaching, but she knew it was hopeless to sneak up on a former soldier. Sure enough, she saw the corner of his mouth twitch.

"What are you doing over here," she teased, her heart fluttering. He didn't face her.

"Merely looking," Sayid responded, still preoccupied with watching the endless inky sea. She turned, and tried to pick out the exact spot his eyes rested on.

"Looking for anything in particular?" she asked, her eyes sparkling, "Seems to me there's nothing out there but a whole lot of black." Sayid laughed, but it seemed empty. Shannon suddenly felt awkward. She felt useless against the concrete walls he had erected around himself, protecting his thoughts from others.

"I am looking for a ship," he explained gruffly. Shannon looked confused.

"Odd time to be looking for rescue," she remarked, "Especially since we've got our little party going." He shook his head slightly.

"There's no odd time to be looking for rescue," his voice got lower, "I'm looking for a ship. Or a plane. Or a raft. Or any blinking light in the sky that may suggests other forms of life," At this point, Sayid abruptly turned to her, his countenance suddenly desperate. Shannon was frightened, but she managed to hold his fiery gaze.

"Anything that will get me off this island," he let out in a strangled voice, "Because after seeing you with him," Sayid's voice broke, but he held on to the last shred of dignity he had, "Being here is the worst form of torture I can ever imagine."

Shannon gasped, and brought her hand to her mouth. His outright declaration had stunned her. Finally, after all the flirting, the looks, and the events of the day, it had come to this. Everything she had hoped for had culminated in this moment, and she would be damned if she let it pass. The walls he had constructed were down, and he was exposing his soul to her. The final admittance of his feelings was something she was determined to take hold of, and she wouldn't let anything get in her-

"Now what the hell is going on over here," a voice boomed directly behind her. She jumped, and turned. Sawyer was striding towards her with a huge smile on his face, while Claire waddled behind as the rest of the group watched in curiousity. Shannon could see Charlie quickly put down his guitar and start heading towards them at a fast pace.

"Sawyer!" he called out warningly, but the other man paid him no mind, and just walked right up to Shannon and Sayid and threw a 'possessive' arm around her.

"Well, lookee here," Sawyer said loudly, "I'm sorry, am I interruptin' something special?" Shannon looked frantically at Sayid, who had started to shake in rage.

"I don't think this is the best time," she said through gritted teeth, trying to throw her friend the hint. He laughed, and whispered in her ear.

"This is what I like to call 'twisting the final screw'," he said, and turned back to Sayid. The shorter man fixed an irate and furious glower on Sawyer.

"If you know what is good for you," he managed to say, spitting each word out as if it were a dagger, "You'll walk away from this situation. Right now." Sawyer pretended to be shocked, and held his other hand to his heart.

"Now is that any way to talk to Shannon's date?" he responded, and swiveled his gaze to Shannon, who was trembling, "You gonna let him talk to me in that way, Princess?"

"Shut up," she hissed. Sawyer didn't respond, and looked back at Sayid.

"You see, it's not like you've got a little tag that says, 'Property of Sayid' anywhere on her body," he chortled, "But there's always other places I can look."

"Sawyer," Sayid whispered dangerously, "You are treading on a very thin piece of ice."

"I think," Sawyer said, with an overly exaggerated thinking pose, "That….you're kind of jealous that I came with Sticks tonight."

"Jesus Christ, Sawyer, you're such a prick," Kate and Jack were walking towards them, and Kate looked angry.

"What are you so worked up about, Freckles? You think I'm lying?" he didn't bother to look at her, just kept his gaze on Sayid, clearly asking him the same question. When the other man didn't respond, Sawyer grinned. Time for the last resort.

"Fine," he said, "Then I guess it won't matter if I do…this."

In one quick motion, in front of the entire crowd of survivors, Sawyer slightly bent Shannon back, and gave her a passionate kiss full on the lips.

End Chapter Nine

Author's Notes: Heh.

Next Chapter will be the final one. Thanks for the wonderful reviews. Please leave lovely little messages for Mommy to find.


	10. In The City

Title: Hot Child

Author: Lazuli

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Lost is owned by that glorious bastard, J.J. Abrams. Love you, sugarplum.

Summary: A mercilessly hot day on the island inspires Shannon Rutherford to "take a day off". Swims, laziness, and hanging around the men of the island seem like a perfect way to pass the time. More importantly, she wants to know why Sayid has been avoiding her…

Chapter 10

"…In The City"

She never really understood when people felt that life moved in slow motion. To Shannon, an experienced and seasoned partier, life moved at the speed she made it, whether it be from nights of dancing at a club, to speeding through the streets of Italy in a silver Ferrari at two in the morning, to ingesting deadly amounts of alcohol and drugs. She wanted to live her life quick and hard, because she knew that the faster she made it, the faster it would be over. And so far, life wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

So when her friends always described a kiss with a man as "slow motion", she'd throw back her head and laugh hysterically. To a woman who didn't understand the concept of slowing down, this notion was almost alien. She'd knock back another rum and coke, and drunkenly order them to stop smoking so much goddamn weed, and here's a fistful of dollars, and go do another body shot of that gorgeous bartender who's been giving you the eye for the last five minutes. That'll take care of that problem.

Slow motion was for movies and old people. Not for bored, young, beautiful, rich socialites.

Imagine her surprise when all her friends turned out to be right.

Kissing Sawyer had never been part of the plan.

It all happened so slowly, that Shannon could have sworn that if she broke away that instant, everyone would be stuck in a freeze frame, their mouths gaping, their fingers pointing, and their eyes wide and shocked. She knew they had everyone's attention, what with Sawyer yelling at the top of his lungs, Kate angrily admonishing him, and Charlie abandoning his guitar and running to the beach at top speed. And most of all, she knew they were all looking at the screwed-up "love triangle" that was exploding on the shoreline. Hell, if she were an onlooker, she'd probably be as interested as the rest of them. How could you not be? It was human drama at its best.

Not to say that the feel of Sawyer's lips on hers was entirely bad. Though Shannon knew (in her stunned state) that she would most likely slit his throat as soon as they parted, she couldn't deny that the man knew what he was doing. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip, then dipped it slightly into her mouth, dancing with her own.

Sawyer ran his fingers through her hair for added effect, and it suddenly occurred to her that this was the first man she'd kissed since her step-brother. What Sawyer didn't realize, was that Shannon would most likely be the last woman he would ever kiss. Ever.

Just when Shannon had gathered the nerve to push him away, she felt their bodies suddenly part, and she abruptly fell to the sand when he dropped her. Shaking her head, she whipped around and saw Sawyer being flung into the ocean headfirst, and a blur tackled him around the middle and started punching him with a frightening speed.

Sayid.

"NO!" she screamed, and struggled to get to her feet. A hand flew out of nowhere and landed on her shoulder, pinning her back to the sand. She looked up, panicking. Claire. The blonde Australian shook her head worriedly.

"Don't get in between them!" she gasped, her eyes still betraying the shock she felt at Sawyer's action. Shannon brushed off Claire's hand and jumped to her feet.

"I'm the reason they're doing this!" she yelled back, disregarding Claire's anxious attempts to hold her back, and ran after the fighting pair in the ocean. By this time, Michael, Jack, and Boone had gone after them, and were frantically trying to pull them apart. All attempts failed, and though they tried again and again, Sawyer and Sayid would rear back and attack whoever was trying to get in their way. It took a hard blow to Jack's forehead by a frenzied Sayid to stop them, and they helplessly fell back. After hitting Jack, he threw the doctor out of the way, grabbed Sawyer's hair, and brought the blonde head down on his knee, snarling. The dull knock from the impact was flinching.

Sawyer fell into the ocean, momentarily stunned. This gave Sayid enough time to launch himself onto Sawyer's back and attempt to choke him from behind. Miraculously, Sawyer gained enough clarity to jut out an elbow at the rushing man, which caught him directly in his stomach. Sayid let out a strangled cry, and clutched his stomach, his eyes shut in pain, his muscles tensed. Sawyer straightened, and wiped blood from the cut Sayid had caused on his forehead.

"Not nice," he growled, and delivered a roundhouse punch to Sayid's face. However, Sayid reared back seconds before Sawyer's knuckle would have hit his chin, and brought his arm down on Sawyer's elbow. The Southerner let out a grunt of pain, and drew his elbow close to his chest like a wounded bird. Sayid wiped his chin, his face twisted in pain and anger.

"I am not," he spit out, each word sharper than the next,"a nice man." Churning through water, he caught Sawyer off-guard, and punched him square in the chin. Sawyer went down, cursing.

"Someone's gotta stop this," Michael panted heavily, leaning over, his hands on his knees, "Christ, Jack, they're going to kill each other!" Jack could only watch them powerlessly, hoping that Sayid's cool reason would kick in.

To their surprise, Shannon raced by them and jumped headlong into the ocean towards the two skirmishing men. Sawyer knocked Sayid back with an uppercut to the chin, which caused the smaller man to be knocked to his feet, buoyed by the water. He was still for a second, and then pushed himself back up. The two men splashed through the water towards each other at full speed, eyes murderous, intentions for the worst. They both pulled back their fists and lunged at each other, when suddenly, a screaming Shannon dived between them. The three bodies hit each other with a sickening thud, and they fell into the water, creating a huge spray.

"SHANNON!" Charlie had finally had enough, and leaped over the small waves, splashing and jumping until he reached them. He reached Sawyer first, and noticing that the floating man was stirring, left him alone. Sayid had already recovered consciousness, and was trying, his eyes dazed, to reclaim his balance in the furious current. Charlie breathed a sigh of relief, then looked around for the familiar blonde hair. He turned around and around, his eyes panicked. Nothing. He looked back towards the shore, to see if she had already made her way back. All he saw were confused survivors. No Shannon.

"SHANNON?" he yelled desperately. Finally, behind a descending wave, he saw a pale hand emerge from the inky black water. Charlie sucked in a breath, then pushed Sawyer out of the way and splashed towards her. He grabbed her hand and pulled. Her face broke through the surface, and Charlie's stomach plummeted to see a large gash on the side of her face. He regained his footing in the sand, and hauled her to a standing position. Shannon's eyes were closed, and she was clearly unconscious. Charlie's terror increased, and he began smacking the unhurt side of her face, pleading for a sign.

"Charlie!" he dimly heard a voice through the frenetic thoughts in his head, and his head whipped to see that Jack was wildly making his way through the small waves towards the two of them. Boone, Jin, Michael, and Hurley had already dragged Sayid and Sawyer back to shore, where they were being both treated and yelled at by Claire and Kate.

Jack finally reached them, and had pulled Shannon out of Charlie's arms with a lighting motion, and the three of them half-swam and half-ran back to shore. When they reached land, Jack threw Shannon down onto the beach and immediately tried to illicit a response.

"Shannon?" he gasped, still shaking water out of his eyes, "Shan, can you hear me?" When she didn't answer, Jack jerked his head up at the circle around him.

"Get back!" he yelled, "We need to give her air!" Jack leaned down, tilted her head up, and pressed his lips to hers, administering CPR. He reared back up, and pressed down on her chest. Nothing happened. He tried again.

A scuffling was heard outside the circle, and several people were pushed aside as Sayid burst through and fell to his knees besides Shannon.

"Is she alright?" he cried, and shook her arm, "Shannon! Shannon! Jack, what do we…." He helplessly grabbed Jack's arm, "Jack, if she dies-"

"Get off of me!" Jack screamed, and pushed him away. He pounded Shannon's chest. She didn't respond. Sayid fell back on to the sand, staring at Shannon's lifeless body. More sounds of scuffling were heard, and Boone and Sawyer burst through the same place Sayid did.

"Shannon!" Boone cried, his face pale, "Oh, Jesus Christ…"

"Is she breathing?" Sawyer demanded, "What the hell is going on?"

"Everyone calm down," Kate suddenly appeared behind Sawyer, placing a hand on his back, breathing hard, "Let Jack do his thing." She looked at Jack, who was still frantically working on Shannon, "Oh my God."

"Breathe," Claire whispered, her eyes glittering with tears. Locke came up beside her, and put an arm around her shoulder. She buried her face in the older man's shirt, shoulders heaving.

"Why isn't she doing anything?" Boone was screaming, "Why the HELL ISN'T SHE DOING ANYTHING?" Jack never responded, just kept applying pressure to Shannon's chest, and blowing air into her mouth. Boone rounded on Sayid and Sawyer.

"If she dies," Boone cried, a tear escaping at the end of his eye, "I'll kill you two, I swear it."

"She's not going to die!" Claire's voice was muffled through Locke's shirt. Sawyer was breathing heavily and still clutching his elbow, his face overcome by horror at the scene before them. Sayid was motionless, staring at Shannon. At Boone's threat, he started.

"If she dies, Boone," he whispered, his voice breaking, "You will not have to worry about killing me." Kate finally broke down and started to cry. Boone, panting heavily, looked at Sayid, who never took his eyes of Shannon. Sawyer closed his eyes and clenched his fist, bringing it to his forehead.

Jack was about to lean down and blow more air into Shannon's mouth when her eyes snapped open and she sucked in a harsh breath. He fell back, momentarily surprised. Shannon coughed, the action causing her frail body to convulse.

When she first breathed, an almost holy stillness overtook the group for a millisecond. They stared in bated silence, hoping that this wasn't a vision, or a fevered daydream. However, when she let loose that small cough, a riot broke out. Boone broke out of his trance and fell to Shannon's side, drawing her body up in a crushing hug. Her weakened arms flailed fleetingly, then mustered enough strength to deliver one small pat of reassurance to her stepbrother's back. Jack, catching his breath and wondering at his luck, finally shook out of his grateful reverie and pulled a protesting Boone away from Shannon, and, with a strength he didn't know he could still possess, managed to push both Sayid and Sawyer back.

"She needs," he gasped, "to rest." He pulled her to a sitting position, then slightly turned her body around.

"You swallowed some water," Jack said, "You need to get it out of your system," he had barely finished the sentence when Shannon leaned over and retched, seawater pouring from her mouth onto the sand. He rubbed her back encouragingly.

"Good job," he whispered, and with Hurley and Jin's help, climbed to his feet. Boone raced back to his sister's side, Claire and Charlie on the other. Sawyer and Sayid hovered above them, their feud forgotten in the wake of Shannon's near-death experience. Jack felt his doctor side rise up once again, and he staggered towards them, waving them out of the way.

"I need her up at her tent," he told them, "She still needs to be treated for that wound on her forehead, in case there's a concussion," he glanced at Sawyer and Sayid, "You better come, too." He bent down to pick up a water bottle, when he felt himself caught up in a suffocating hug.

"You saved her," Boone gasped, "Thank you." Touched, Jack patted him on the shoulder, and the younger man stepped back to help bring a weakened Shannon to her tent, followed by Charlie and Claire, who were keeping Sawyer and Sayid at bay with the icy fury of their glares. Jack turned to Hurley, who was shaking his head.

"Hell of a party," he joked, and wiped water from his eyes. Hurley only snorted, and turned away. Jack bit his lip.

"Hey," he called out, causing Hurley to stop and look back, "I meant it. Other than the stuff that just happened….it meant a lot that you did this. Thank you." Hurley let a smile break out.

"It was something, alright," he remarked, "And we're totally doing it again," he stopped for a second, "Only without the whole fighting and almost drowning thing." Jack laughed, and started walking towards Shannon's tent.

_Later on…_

The two men sat across from each other. Sayid rubbed a sore spot on his face gently with a plant Sun had provided. Sawyer was holding a piece of cloth to his bleeding forehead. They said nothing, they only glared.

In between them, drifting in and out of consciousness, lay Shannon.

It was almost like a silent tug of war, this heated exchange over the precious object in the middle. Only while one was nurturing unfathomable pits of anger and pure jealousy, the other was torn between letting his trademark smirk slip out, or leaping over Shannon's body to throttle the other's neck.

Sawyer settled instead for continuing to glare at Sayid, who bristled and slowly made a fist with one hand. Talk about overreacting. He knew that kissing Shannon would have SOME effect on Sayid, but he obviously underestimated the man's feelings for her. Okay, so the plan backfired, but still, they'd proven a point. Sawyer knew that if there was one thing that another man couldn't handle, it was seeing the woman he loved receive a fervent kiss from another. At the most, he expected Sayid to yell at him, or punch him just once. He hadn't expected the other man to grab him around the neck, throw him out into the ocean, and proceed to beat the ever-living crap out of him. And he had. Sawyer had a hell of a lot of pride, but even he knew when he'd been beat.Bastard. He wasn't sure he even wanted Shannon hanging around with this crazy love struck moron anyway.

A small sigh from the figure on the ground interrupted his thoughts, and he and Sayid both looked down to see Shannon's eyes open. They scrambled to their knees beside her.

"Hey," Sawyer said in a soothing voice, "You okay, darlin'?" She lifted up a hand and gingerly felt the wound on her forehead. Jack had used some bandages to cover up the huge gash, and she looked a hell of a lot better.

"Ow," she murmured, squeezing her eyes shut in pain, her hand shooting back to her side. Sayid instantly grabbed a nearby bottle of water and brought it in front of her.

"Drink," he commanded softly, his eyes reflecting the happiness he felt at her being awake, "Jack recommended that you should ingest fresh water. You took in too much seawater when you fell into the ocean." Shannon opened her eyes, and gently brought the water bottle to her lips. Sayid's hand fluttered down to her knee, where he began moving his thumb in circles around her kneecap. She finished the water bottle off, then returned it to him gratefully.

"Thanks," she panted, "God, it feels like I licked the inside of a salt shaker," Both of the men smiled. Shannon's curt tongue could only mean improvement.

Shannon took a few deep breaths, then looked at the both of them in turn.

"I'm so sorry, Shannon," Sawyer felt the words spill out from his lips, "I can't tell you…I'm so goddamn sorry."

"As am I," Sayid continued, his eyes downcast, "I attacked Sawyer for purely selfish reasons, with no thought to whether or not other people would be hurt…"

"I provoked you," Sawyer sharp voice interrupted, causing Sayid to meet his steady gaze, "It was wrong." Sayid held Sawyer's eyes.

"You did nothing wrong," he responded, "I can…understand if the two of you wish to be," he swallowed, "together. I let my feelings get in the way. I apologize."

Shannon was quiet, but at this statement, she and Sawyer looked at each other. A small smile emerged, and he felt stupid.

"This was all wrong," he felt himself saying, "I don't...not in the way you think. I mean, I like her a lot, but-"

"-But it's not right," she interjected softly. Sayid looked confused.

"I don't understand," he said, his eyebrows furrowed, his eyes searching both their faces. Sawyer suddenly felt the need to absolve himself without getting Shannon in trouble.

"I don't want her," he explained to the darker man. Sayid didn't say anything, just waited with bated breath.

"I don't want her," Sawyer said, "Not like you do." With that said, he rose unsteadily to his feet, and looked at them. Shannon's face was terrified, but Sayid's was one step away from pure joy. Sawyer reached down and brushed a strand of blonde hair out of Shannon's face.

"You really are something, Sticks," he whispered, and turned to Sayid, "You're a lucky man." Sayid still looked confused.

"Why…." His voice trailed off, and his head jerked around to look at Shannon, a dawning look coming over his face, "You mean, you feel something for me?" Sawyer chuckled, turned around, and simply walked away.

It was all up to Shannon, now. She watched Sawyer walk away, then said, "Not here. There's too many people." She stood up, and tugged a somewhat dazed Sayid up along with her, wincing from her cut.

"Follow me," she said tersely, and they slowly walked into the jungle.

_The jungle_

Sayid and Shannon had been walking together in silence for about an hour, him supporting her in her still weakened state,with only moonlight and a small torch stolen from a campsite to guide them. She led him on a path that twisted and turned around trees, under foliage, between rocks. The area looked somewhat familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place it.

She halted. He stopped next to her, watching her face. It looked like she was listening for something. Sayid was about to ask what they were doing, when her face suddenly lighted up, and she darted forward a few paces to pull back a few leaves that revealed…Oh, God.

The waterfall.

As shehesitatingly made her wayover the rocks, Sayid was motionless, stuck in a blinding flashback which involved him watching an unaware Shannon bathe naked in the pool. He gulped, remembering how hot it had made him feel, and he suddenly cursed to find himself overcome with that same heat once again.

"Sayid?" She looked questioning. He pulled himself together, stepped through the leaves, and joined her on a broad, flat rock. The two of them gazed at the waterfall in front of them, taken once more with its incredible beauty. Lit by the moonlight, it was the very picture of tropical magnificence.

"Pretty, huh?" Shannon commented, "I found it while I was out looking for Boone a few weeks ago. Just kinda stumbled on it, one of those things."

"It's very beautiful," Sayid answered. He didn't dare look at her.

"It's funny," she sighed, "After I found it, I swore to myself that it would be my secret place. Somewhere Boone, or Locke, or anyone could never find me. No one was allowed but me."

Sayid felt guilty.

"But the more I came out here," she took a step forward, absorbing the scenery, "the more I realized that I wanted someone to be here to share it with me. Someone who would appreciate how…alive…this place was. How quiet and cool it was," she turned to him, her eyes alight, "How _beautiful_ it was."

"You are beautiful," Sayid whispered almost reverently. A deep blush covered her cheeks.

"Don't say things like that," Shannon bit her lip, her nerves fraying, "Don't say things like that to me."

"Why not?" Sayid was surprised at how loud his voice seemed to get, "Shannon, you smile at me, you bat your eyes, you tell me how much you like spending time with me, and then you abandon me for a man you know I despise? And what's worse, is after you almost die by what could have been my hand, you take me to this amazing place that you've deemed you're sanctuary because I'm the one you want to share it with? And then you tell me not to reveal how I truly feel!" He stepped so close to her that he could feel her breath tickle his face. She looked surprised, almost scared.

"Please," he grabbed her arms, "Tell me why I cannot say things like this to you." Shannon stared at him with her deer-in-the-headlights look, then suddenly broke free.

"Why?" She gasped, "Why?" She stumbled backwards, "You left ME, Sayid! You abandoned me! You can't say that this is my entire fault! I spend all this time with you, and one day you decide that it's all going to stop? That the last weeks that we've spent together meant nothing," she shook her head furiously, "It hurt so bad, Sayid. It was like you got tired of me, and threw me away like a freaking doll. And what's worse is that I can't believe I got so worked up over you, that I thought you even liked me!"

"I was frightened of getting close to you," Sayid told her, his voice breaking, "But now I see that it was what I actually wanted. You. Only you." He longed to touch her, but she danced out of his reach.

"That's rich," she sneered, "Now you sound like Kate." Sayid scowled.

"You have no business speaking of Kate that way. She is a good person."

"Like hell she is," Shannon shrieked, "Like hell any of us are!" She held up her hand, as a tear slipped down her cheek.

"Let's see, we've got a former junkie rock star, a single knocked up amnesiac, a prick of a doctor with a massive savior complex, an asshole Southerner who as soon steal your money as he'd steal your virginity, a freak of nature who obviously prefers living in a jungle then living with us, a woman who just has to have every man on the island want to jump her bones, a husband and wife who can't even look at each other, an Iraqi solder who tortures people for a living," she pointed a shaking finger at him, " and me and Boone."

"You and Boone," he repeated. She laughed, but there wasn't a single trace of humor to be found.

"Me and Boone," Shannon whispered, dropping her hands to her sides, and staring at him with a lost expression in her eyes, "Who spent their last night in Sydney, Australia in the same bed."

Sayid's mind completely shut down.

"…What?" he could only stammer out. It was impossible. Shannon…and Boone. Her brother. Shannon and Boone. In the same bed.

"He's not really my brother," she swayed from side to side, "He's only my stepbrother. But he's been in love with me since we were teenagers. And I always knew it. And I used him because of it." Her face finally cracked, and tears began streaming out of her eyes and down her face. She didn't look like she cared, though.

"What kind of person," she began to ask, but stopped, "Bet you think I'm disgusting now." He could barely meet her eyes. Shannon grimaced, and held her sides like she was in pain, still crying freely.

"Boone," she whimpered, "How could I do that to him? How could I use him for something like that? It's not even about the fact that his whore of a mother stole all my father's money from me when he died, anymore. He was still my stepbrother. And it was sick and twisted, and I'm horrible. I just….I just wanted to feel close to someone. Anyone." She made like she was going to cover her face with her hands, but brought them down at the last second, and looked up at him. He was still shell-shocked from her confession, only able to stare blankly and hope that his mind caught up with the present. Illicit scenarios popped into his head: Shannon, in Boone's embrace, arching her neck back in pleasure. Shannon, spread out on a bed, with Boone's face hovering over hers. Shannon, shutting off a light, plunging the scene into darkness. What was worse, was that the face wasn't even Boone's half the time. Sometimes, it was Sawyer's.

Shannon, parting her lips, ready to bestow a kiss. This time, the lips which waited with ecstasy to receive them were his own.

The images flew past his head, and now only one remained. The crying, broken woman in front of him. The woman who stole his heart, but was fearful of giving him her own because of how black she feared she had made it. He licked his lips, his mouth suddenly dry.

"So you want to know why I don't want you to tell me I'm beautiful?" her voice was hoarse from the pain. He watched as she took a few cautious steps towards him, afraid that he might run off like a skittish colt.

"I don't want you to tell me I'm beautiful," it hurt him to hear her so broken, "is because it makes me _happy _that the plane crashed," a fresh onslaught of tears came with this declaration.

"It makes me happy that this horrible thing had to happen so that I could forget all the bad things I've done in my life, all the times I've been a bitch, all the times I've used men to get what _I _wanted in life…..and most of all, it made me happy that we crashed because I never would have met you," it was too much. She collapsed in front of him, plunking onto the sand, staring up at his face, pleading for his forgiveness.

In the past 24 hours, Sayid had felt his heart break more times than he could even count. But none of them, not even the image of Sawyer's kiss, could strike him the way Shannon looked right now. Cheeks streaked with tears, eyes red and bloodshot, hair tangled, and collapsed in a sobbing heap at his feet. This woman, this girl, had torn down every barrier, every wall she had ever built, and bared her soul to him. She had told him her deepest, darkest secret, and it was killing her to reveal any sorts of weakness that would make him think ill of her.

But were they so different? While Sayid had tortured people in the Guard for information, Shannon tortured people in her life because it was the only way she could feel loved.

A light burst through the dark cloud they had surrounded themselves with. Sayid felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders, and to think, it took a sobbing woman to help him. He saw spots dance in front of his eyes, and felt his forehead wrinkle. She felt the same way; she wanted him as much as he wanted her, perhaps even more. Shannon Rutherford had willingly taken a chance with her heart, and for perhaps the first time, had truly reached out to another person. He was shocked, he was touched, he was honored, but most of all, he was proud. Proud and happy that this amazing and blubbering mess before him had found the inner strength he always knew she had inside her, and that she had chosen him to reveal it to.

In that moment, Sayid knew he could fall in love with her.

Presently, the woman in question was still hovering beneath him, crying pitifully, preparing herself for an inevitable rejection. Shannon's heart was slowly crumbling into a million pieces with every passing second that he stared down at her. For awhile, she had herself convinced that nothing on Earth could be a worse feeling than losing her father or waking up next to Boone. This, however, was about a thousand times worse. The waiting, the ticking of the clock in her head, the knowledge that in about five seconds, he was going to open his mouth and tell her that she could take whatever she felt and go to hell.

"I'm sorry," she heard herself sniffle pathetically, "I'm sorry you had to hear this, I'm sorry that you had to know me, I'm just sorry, so sorry for everything." Shannon put a hand out in front of her, and used the rock to propel herself upwards so that she was facing him eye to eye.

Nothing could have prepared her for what happened afterwards.

As soon as she met his gaze, he reached down, grabbed her waist, pulled her roughly against his body, and slammed his lips down onto hers. She couldn't process it at first, didn't comprehend what was happening, didn't know why Sayid was holding her like he was afraid she would run away from him, or why he was crushing her body so close to his that she thought she wouldn't be able to breathe, and oh my God, was that his TONGUE?

Sayid brought one of his hands up to roughly grab her hair and wind it in his fist, while forcibly opening her mouth with his and shoving his tongue past her lips to mesh with hers. Her fingers were still against his back for a second, then they too reached up to bury themselves in his dark curls, pulling and tugging as she gasped and moaned, rubbing her body up and down against his. He let out a moan of his own into her mouth, hot and demanding, and she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his body. Sayid took a deep breath, and kissed Shannon again with every amount of passion he could find in his body. All the looks, all the smiles, all the laughter, all the dreams, and all the sleepless nights with his hand curled around the most intimate part of his body as he silently screamed her name….they all led up to this moment. This kiss wasn't just about lust, or love, or whatever it was they felt for each other, there was plenty of time to discuss that. This kiss was about pure possession. The need to establish a boundary, to show the world that they had claimed each other as their own, and that nothing, not even Death, could break their newfound bond.

It made them giddy, to be so full of THIS for each other. She threw back her head and laughed as he trailed hot and wet kisses down her throat, and he giggled like a child. Shifting her weight against his, he kept one eye on the path in front of him as he gently pressed her body into a tree, pushing and jerking, desperate to feel closer. Shannon responded by grabbing onto an overhead branch for more leverage to buck her hips against his. He groaned loudly at the sudden contact of her heat, and grinded into her, causing her to close her eyes and grab a hold of his hair again, forcing him to look at her.

"Stop," she breathed, almost moaning it. He rumbled against her chest, lightly licking the hollow of her neck.

"Oh, God," Shannon cried out as he grinded once more against her, "No, we have to stop now." Sayid paused, and pulled back slightly, a dazed and confused look on his face. Her own features were red, her blue eyes heated with desire, her tongue darting out to lick her lips.

"Why?" he growled sensuously, "You really want me to stop this?" He let his fingers trail down her chest, reaching for the tie in her sarong. Watching her eyes glaze over again, he gave her a cheeky grin and slipped his fingers into the front of her bikini bottom.

"Not really," she breathed, her eyes half-closed, "but…we have to." She shook her head as if clearing water, "Not like this." Sayid took a moment, and saw her rationalization.

"You're right," he gently let her down, "Unless you wish to join Claire as the first mothers of our group, it would be best to stop." She nodded gratefully, and stood next to him, awkwardly brushing off the leaves that had fallen into her hair. Sayid picked one out himself, and she smiled.

"So…yeah," she giggled, "That was pretty much the coolest answer anyone's ever given me." Sayid laughed.

"We all have bad things in our past, Shannon," he explained gently, placing a hand against her cheek and looking deep into her eyes, "But what is remarkable is how others can change our lives for the better." He played with her hair. "Just like you've made mine better." Tears welled up in her eyes.

"I don't deserve you," she choked up, and flung herself against him. He folded her into his arms.

"Yes," he kissed the top of her head, "You do."

_At the beach_

"Ridiculous sort of day," Charlie remarked, "Don't you think?" He leaned over and stared pointedly at Sawyer, who gave him the finger. Charlie snickered.

"Okay, Shannon," he said snidely, and stretched out on the beach, looking at the stars.

"Speaking of," he rode his train of thought, "Where did that daft bint go? You think a bit of almost drowning would have made her grateful. I didn't even get a bloody thank you for saving her life."

"I'm sure she'll erect a monument in your honor," Sawyer commented dryly, picking at his fresh bandages. Charlie rolled over and looked at him.

"Jack do those?" he asked, interested. Sawyer gave him a look.

"No, the monster did," he snapped, "Who else, moron?" Charlie scoffed and scooted over next to Sawyer.

"I gotta say," he smirked, "The look on Jack and Kate's face after we told them why you really took Shannon to the luau was absolutely priceless."

"Apparently, the thought of me as a matchmaker is a little hard to swallow," Sawyer said, "though I do say, I'm pretty sure they hold me in higher regard than they used to. Thank the Good Lord we had Claire and Hurley to back us up."

"What can I say," Charlie muttered, poking a stick into the sand, "Everyone likes a good love story."

"Yeah," Sawyer agreed sarcastically, then suddenly perked up, "Speaking of swallowing…..BOONE!" Boone heard his name being called, and left Locke's side to trot over to them.

"What do you want?" he asked, a disgusted look on his face. Sawyer grinned. The day was not lost after all.

"Where'd your sister go?" he asked playfully. Boone's eyes narrowed.

"Like I'd tell you," he spit out, "You'd probably go molest her in her sleep, you sick freak." Sawyer laughed.

"Only if you're watching, Peaches," he drawled loudly, which cause Boone's eyes to widen, and he ran back to Locke's side like a whipped dog. Charlie started uncontrollably snorting with laughter, then stopped and pointed.

"Hey, look!" he said, "There she is!" Sure enough, Shannon and Sayid had emerged from the woods.

Holding hands.

"Oh my god," Sawyer and Charlie were shocked, and stared at each other, "It really worked." As they watched, Shannon saw them out of the corner of her eye, and waved. She whispered a quick word to Sayid, then shared a lovely kiss with him. He watched her fly across the sand towards Sawyer and Charlie, then made his way to his tent, happy and content.

"We made up!" She launched herself at Sawyer and Charlie, hugging them both around their necks, squealing and laughing, "…And then we made out!" The two made faces behind her back.

"Er, that's lovely and all, Shannon, but you're choking me," Charlie managed to squeeze out. Shannon stopped and pulled back, an apologetic look on her face.

"I'm sorry," she said, but her face lighted up again, "He's my boyfriend!" Sawyer arched his eyebrow.

"For some reason, I'm having a hard time with you using the word 'Sayid' and 'boyfriend' in the same sentence," he told her. She swatted his shoulder.

"That's for kissing me, you big dork," Shannon said, scowling, "Great idea, by the way. Only NOT."

"Hey, it worked," Sawyer raised his hands defensively, "You got the boy in the end. Congratulations." Shannon grinned once more.

"That's true," she flopped herself on to the sand between them, "Thanks, guys. I could never have done this without you. Oh, and thanks for saving me in the water, Charlie." He threw up his hands.

"Finally!" he exclaimed, and then playfully ruffled her hair, "You owe me nothing, gorgeous. Just hold on to that man of yours." She tickled him in the side, then laid her head on Sawyer's hips.

"You guys really are my best friends here," Shannon said. The two men shared a grin.

"Likewise, Buttercup," Sawyer said. Shannon sighed.

"I should really go to bed," she said, touching her wound once again and wincing, "It's been a long friggin' day, and I need rest," she propelled herself to her elbows and grinned at the others, "I'm not allowed to go sleep in Sayid's tent, because we'll probably end up-"

"No need to hear!" Sawyer stuck a finger in his ear and clamped his lips shut. Charlie yawned.

"I should get back to the caves," he said, "Claire's waiting for me. She'll expect a full play-by-play of what went down out there from you in the morning, by the way. And take it from me, it's not worth worrying a pregnant woman." He experimentally moved his arm where Claire had angrily punched him for going after Shannon in such dangerous waves. She'd burst into tears and hugged him a second after, thanking him over and over.

"Too bad we weren't in the city," Shannon said, staring at the stars, "We could totally go out for drinks right now."

"I'm afraid to see you in the city," Sawyer teased, "Breaking every heart that comes across her path."

"Dressing up like Aphrodite herself and dancing away like a bloody flamenco woman," Charlie added. Shannon ignored them both, and looked towards Sayid's tent. The fire outside was still flickering.

_Consequences be damned_. She thought. She still had a few condoms in her bag. She'd just have to grab it on her way over there. Her friend was right. She was going to hold onto this one with all her might.

Turning around, she looked at Charlie and Sawyer. Two men who she could never picture herself being friends with.

"So, what do you guys want to do tomorrow?"

End Chapter 10

Author's notes: Thank you so much to everyone who has supported this story from the beginning to the end. It was a joy to write, and I hope you all liked it. There won't be a sequel, but I do have another Shayid fic in the works. Thank you again.


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